Author: Victor Block
Published: 2025/03/26
Publication Type: Informative
Topic: Disability Travel America – Publications List
Page Content: Synopsis – Introduction – Main – Insights, Updates
Synopsis: Street art turns public spaces into accessible galleries, blending history, activism, and creativity to engage communities and celebrate diverse voices.
Why it matters: This article explores the evolution and impact of street art, an accessible and inclusive form of public expression that transforms urban spaces into open-air galleries. Tracing its roots from Depression-era public art initiatives and wartime graffiti to contemporary murals and installations, the piece highlights how street art has become a celebrated medium for social commentary and cultural diversity. The article examines notable examples, such as Tom Block’s “Cousins” in Silver Spring, Maryland, and installations across cities like New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles, underscoring their accessibility to people of all abilities, including those with disabilities. By showcasing the artistic and historical significance of street art, the article demonstrates how these public works foster community engagement and enrich urban environments – Disabled World (DW).
Introduction
People strolling, or rolling along a thoroughfare in Silver Spring, Maryland, just outside of Washington, DC, pass beneath a line of abstract paintings attached to the side of a building. Each includes a quote attributed to a famous historic figure.
“Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself,” instructs Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor (161-180 AD) and stoic philosopher. “Do not judge a nation by how it treats its highest citizens, but its less fortunate ones,” implores Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid activist who went on to become the first president of South Africa.
Main Item
These images are examples of street art, which is displayed in public places throughout the country and transforms various platforms – buildings, pavements, trains, subway cars and other visible surfaces – into outdoor museums accessible to everyone. That usually includes those in a wheelchair or dealing with another disability.
What today is an art form had its genesis during the Great Depression which impacted the Unites States in the late 1930s. A public project was launched to provide jobs for out-of-work painters and sculptors. Their creations were distributed to museums, schools, hospitals and other public institutions.
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Another early example of this genre was Kilroy Was Here images which showed up around the world during World War II. They were line drawings of a bald-headed man (sometimes depicted as having a few hairs) with an elongated nose peering out from behind a ledge.
Some U.S. military personnel sketched the picture and text on walls where they were stationed, encamped or visited. A popular tongue-in-cheek claim was that the phrase and image even showed up on enemy-held beach-heads where American troops landed.
An increasing wave of graffiti began to show up on outside walls and other surfaces throughout the United States in the 1960s. Much of it consisted of slogans of protest, social commentary or political observations. Since then, these open-air exhibits have evolved into a recognized form of expression throughout the country. In addition to street art, they’re sometimes referred to as independent art, post-graffiti, neo-graffiti and guerilla art, a term that first emerged in the United Kingdom and then spread around the world.
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While graffiti artists have used spray paint as their primary medium, what has evolved as street art encompasses a wide range of modes. They include sticker art and stenciling, wood blocking and rock balancing, and yarn bombing, which is the use of colorful displays of knitted or crocheted yarn or fiber.
That public art installation in Silver Spring, Maryland is the work of Tom Block, an artist, book author, playwright and founder of the International Human Rights Art Movement, which uses creativity in all of its formats to spur social change and seek a world that is more just and welcoming to all.
Titled “Cousins,” it consists of 15 large art and text panels which transform the space into an outdoor gallery. They project the community’s diversity as an asset by emphasizing not only the different cultures in the community, but also how they positively interrelate.
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Other examples of this art form are scattered throughout the country, and are available to people near where they live and in destinations to which they may travel. Most are easily accessible and welcoming.
Galleries in New York City host exhibitions of street artists’ work. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are among cities that have provided funding to pay street artists to decorate public walls.
Sarasota County, Florida claims to have public art displays “as abundant as the palm trees,” visible on elevator doors of parking garages, the center of traffic circles and numerous other venues. Downtown Chicago is home to more than 100 sculptures, mosaics and paintings, including figures created by world-famous artists like Pablo Picasso and Alexander Calder.
Murals, paintings, sculptures, graffiti and hand-made structures abound through Los Angeles, California. They are displayed outside of art museums, in Metro stations, on building walls and even in downtown parking lots.
The best-known street artist in the world is Banksy, which is the pseudonym by which an England-based political activist is known, while his real name and identity remain unconfirmed. His satirical witticisms and often stenciled images have appeared on streets, walls, bridges and other surfaces. Some of them have been sold, at times by removing the façade on which they were painted.
I encountered an outstanding example of street art during a recent visit to Colorado, as I arrived at the light rail station in Littleton, a suburb of Denver. Stepping off the train, my eyes were immediately drawn to a long vibrant mural stretching 40 feet and standing seven feet high.
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The colorful painting depicts 50 historic structures, most of which are located near the depot. It provided a meaningful welcome to the town and an introduction to an important, but sometimes overlooked, aspect of the art world. This is but one example of that town’s art in public places program, which provides funds each year to pay for installation of murals.
Editorial Note: Street art is more than an aesthetic addition to urban landscapes; it is a powerful tool for inclusivity and dialogue. Its ability to bring art directly to people in their everyday environments fosters a sense of belonging and community. As cities increasingly embrace this medium, they not only celebrate creativity but also create spaces that welcome diverse audiences, ensuring that art remains a shared experience rather than a privilege – Disabled World (DW).
Author Credentials: Victor Block has been a travel journalist for many years, and has written for major newspapers, magazines and travel websites and served as an editor of Fodor’s Travel Guides. He is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and the North American Travel Journalists Association. Victor is a regular contributor of reviews to the Disabled World travel section. Visit Victors’s biography for further insights into his background and expertise.
