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Stylish Street Art

Street art and graffiti are related art movements that the public observes, but does not always support.. Students will learn about some of the well known street artists and groups and identify what style inspires them. They will plan a sketch of a street art mural based on inspiration.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Paper

Steps

  • Step 1

    Graffiti,which tends to be word-based outdoor art, and its cousin Street Art, which tends to be image-based, are both used to rejuvenate dreary looking city streets. Explore a variety of various graffiti and street artists' styles, including CornBread (Darryl McCray), Banksy, Daze (Chris Ellis), and Dondi White. Discover how these two art forms have evolved and tend to overlap depending on the artist's or group's style.

  • Step 2

    Artists Chaz Barrisson and Bob Gibson started a collaborative group that has a distinctive style. This collaboration started in 1998 when the duo went to Amsterdam to paint buildings throughout the city, and is called The London Police, also known as TLP. The group grew to include more members and has received worldwide recognition for their contribution to the graffiti/street art movement. Have students learn more about a street artist or group. Where can they find this style of public art? How do various groups/artists' styles appear similar and different? What are some of the recurring symbols?

  • Step 3

    Have students think about the theme and location of a mural they would design. Then have them create a drawing of it in the style of street art similar to either The London Police or another artist/group that captured their attention. Students can work as solo artists or in collaborative teams, as the street artists who inspired them did.

  • Step 4

    When the art is done have students present their work and discuss who inspired them, what the images represent, and where they would like to see this street art created/displayed.

Standards

ARTS: Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding. 

ARTS: Describe what an image or performance represents.

SS: Culture: Through experience, observation, and reflection, identify elements of culture as well as similarities and differences among cultural groups across time and place.

Adaptations

Focus on the start of this artist movement and why Cornbread, born Darryl McCray, is generally acknowledged to be the first modern graffiti artist. He got his start in Philadelphia in the late 1960s. Have students learn about struggles that street artists had historically (and often still have) in getting public acceptance for their art, permission from building owners, etc..

Challenge students to create a portrait of themselves with their friends or family using the iconic black-and-white circles, lines, and squiggles of The London Police.