Menace to Masterpiece: Graffiti Artists Defy Stereotypes

Dollhausen said graffiti art also encourages discussion about social issues and has long had its roots in the climates of social change. She said that often, illegal graffiti artists are rebelling against a society in which they feel unseen or unheard.

“They [graffiti artists] are putting up the message ‘You aren't listening to us, you aren't hearing what we're saying,’” Dollhausen said. “When you see graffiti, you can't ignore it.”

Murals created at Mother Fool’s and by T.R.U.E. Skool have featured statements about political candidates, patriotism and racism. Artists use the sheer size and location of graffiti art to get their message across, and according to Dollhausen, the result is something everyone can appreciate.

“Hip-hop has been one of the few uniting forces since the Civil Rights Movement,” Dollhausen said. “Anyone of any culture can belong to hip-hop. It is worldwide and has no borders. Graffiti is the visual piece to the culture, it is a voice and a means for social change through art.”

Dollhausen likens graffiti artists to other controversial artists of the past, like Picasso, who were originally dismissed but now have world fame. Similarly, in the Mother Fool’s mural, Hain said he has noticed all kinds of different art techniques and styles, like cubism and photo realism, which graffiti artists have incorporated in their work. According to Dollhausen, the only difference between graffiti art and other more traditional art forms are the tools: spray paint, markers and stencils.

To Hain, graffiti art is set apart from the rest of the art world because by definition, it’s temporary.

“[The impermanence] is something that makes you have to cherish it in the moment. Tomorrow it might not be there,” Hain said. “[Like you’ve] just been let in on a secret, and who knows how long that will last.”

White said graffiti’s uniqueness lies in its style.

“There is no other art form that centers itself around a lettering style and that is so abstract,” he said. “It’s all based on a couple of different styles, but as individuals, we all have our own twist.”

In today’s graffiti scene, White said kids are doing things with spray paint cans “you’d never imagine.” According to White, Wisconsin’s graffiti art scene doesn’t get enough credit. He said many graffiti artists here are artistically better than big-city artists but are overlooked because they are from Wisconsin.

“There are a lot of great artists here and people outside of the state would never guess that we get down the way we get down,” White said. “People think [Wisconsin] is only country and beer and cheese.”

White said that aside from great artists, Milwaukee also breeds division, even among different groups of graffiti artists. White and Dollhausen hope to overcome Milwaukee’s splintering using hip-hop culture. Their annual block party is a step in the right direction according to White. He said it brings together graffiti artists and other members of the community who haven’t spoken to each other in years. By the end of the event, White said, its “all peace, love, handshakes and hugs.”

“You gotta be an agent of change, an agent of positivity,” White said. “Being positive and making something out of nothing is always the best way to go.”

Whether making social change or simply making the world a prettier place to look at, White, Dollhausen and Hain all agreed that graffiti art deserves a chance to be seen and heard, and they are doing their part to make sure it is.