Graffiti has evolved from being seen as a simple act of vandalism to being seen, in some circles, as respected and cutting-edge art by well-known artists such as Banksy. Even with that evolution, however, graffiti has still been thought of largely as a field dominated by boys and men, with women and girls mostly left out of this particular arm of the artistic world. One graffiti artist, GIRL MOBB, who also happens to be a woman, is setting out to change all of that, and in doing so is empowering girls to claim their part in the street art world.
GIRL MOBB has created an art camp for girls called simply, “Graffiti Camp for Girls,” where girls can spend a week learning about this particular form of art. This camp is now catching the attention of people all over the world, with GIRL MOBB herself saying in an interview recently, “The ideas of graffiti have catered to gender roles. Graffiti is considered aggressive, “dangerous”, daring and masculine. ‘It hasn’t fit in with the forced behavioral cultural model that girls have had to chew on since birth. There wasn’t as many female names or mentors as there are now, but that world is changing … and it is so inspiring to see.”
She explained her own foray into street art by saying that, while growing up in her teens in rural Ohio, the revelation that she found something special in street art gave her purpose and self-confidence. Previously to that, she had felt isolated and alone, despite being part of the Cincinnati punk scene, but found that the artistic expression afforded to her by this art was an outlet for her own frustrations of monotony. She learned that the possibilities were endless with street art, from characters to letters, to stickers, and through that, she found her path. She wants to give that opportunity to other young girls who may feel lost, as she once did, and that is why she created Graffiti Camp for Girls.
Graffiti Camp for girls first started in the Bay Area, where GIRL MOBB lives now because she noticed how few women were involved in the street art scene. She won a grant to start the week-long camp, and since then has not only kept it going, but is expanding it worldwide, with camps not only in the United States but a camp set for January in Cambodia. GIRL MOBB herself is very excited about this, saying, “I’m down to keep spreading the word, because I know this project is bigger than me, it’s radical and can help empower women.”
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Source: Metro
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