Conclusion: Can street art change the world?

 

Technology allows a much wider audience to view street art that initially had a limited audience. For example, if you never travel to Sierra Leone, Brazil, or Keyna, you would not have seen JR's Women are Heroes street art. With today's technology, people around the world can access pictures of the art and even a documentary of the project. The result is that more and more people are thinking about the art and recognizing the importance of these women in their cultures. The more people the art is available to, the greater the chances are of triggering social change and a change in mentality. All of these projects have made their ways online, or obviously, I wouldn't have been able to read about them and find pictures to include in my research.

 

These artists have thought about location, picking sites that contribute meaning to their message and messages that contribute meaning to their sites. By posting their project photos online, they have taken the steps necessary to trigger social change.

 

But were they successful?

 

JR's Women are Heroes project has an accompanying documentary. The documentary features women telling their stories and shows them smiling for pictures and posing in front of their photos that he painted around their communities. One woman smiles, seeming to enjoy the moment that she finally gets recognition for the struggles she has gone through. The following trailer for the documentary shows these actions, demonstrating that the project has given women a voice, a feeling of recognition, and perhaps a newfound confidence and power.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many of the men were glad for the project as well because they felt that it gave power to their communities. With a powerful street art movement, people would recognize their communities. They are hopeful for social change and for more recognition and respect in the world. This is what they had to say:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many times, street art is an outlet for the artist. Artists 4 Israel's street artist Craig Dershowitz is one example. Art is a method through which people can work out and express their feelings about topics. Dershowitz has clearly formed a strong opinion about Israel and the artists there. He says, "The truth is you have a people who are good at art, whether it’s because of some sort of genetic predisposition or whether it’s because they come from all over so you have a huge multi-cultural community which, when clashing together, creates beauty." He continues, Art 4 Israel "counters this misconception [of Israel being a poor, hopeless country] in an artistic way.” For the full story, you can visit http://www.thetower.org/article/can-street-art-change-the-world/.

 

So can street art trigger social change?

 

Though I can't definitively say that street art triggers social change, I believe these projects are all starting points for social change. The awareness they bring to people around the world provides an environment conducive to social change. Awareness provides a platform for thought and discussion about the topics that street art projects address. Street art is a powerful art form that has the potential to trigger social change.