Paint Louis

Last updated
Paint Louis
Paint Louis 2024 Official Logo.png
Genre Hip hop
DatesAugust 30 - September 1, 2024 [1]
Location(s) St. Louis, Missouri
Coordinates [2]
Years active1997 - Present
FoundersJohn Harrington, Jonah Anderson

Paint Louis is an annual global community event happening over the American holiday Labor Day bringing together people practicing all four elements of hip hop including graffiti, breakdancing, rapping and DJs to St. Louis for three days of creation and performance. [3] The event started informally in 1995 as a "graffiti jam" and became more formalized in 1997 as noted with its 20th anniversary celebration in 2017. For the 25th year of the annual event, Paint Louis brought hip-hop pioneer KRS-One to perform at the event for free. [2]

Contents


The event is well known as the largest gathering of graffiti writers who have permission to legally paint the Mississippi River flood wall, along the Mississippi river all south of the Gateway Arch, deemed the "longest mural in the world" by Guinness Records. [4] [5] [6] Paint Louis is an international gathering of writers from around the world. [6]

Program

The event

Two days of graffiti writing and painting takes place usually from the Saturday and Sunday of the main event period over American Labor Day holiday. [3]

Paint Littles

Extra cans called "scrap cans" are made available for free daily at the event. Originally called "Scrap Cans for Kids", the event is an outreach program to the community where seasoned graffiti writers teach kids the basics of graffiti writing. It is a family friendly event. [7] [8]

Timeline

1995 - 1996

Group of local St. Louis graffiti writers come together to do a "graffiti jam". [3]

1997

The Underground Superfest takes place at the Mississippi River flood wall. Graffiti artists from across the U.S. make their way to St. Louis to paint. [3]

1998

Paint Louis 1998 had formal t-shirts and a DVD documentary created about the event. Rappers Fat Joe and Big Pun came to the event and painted murals. Tribal Street Wear and Starbucks Frappuccino sponsored the event. And, the Guinness Book of World Records named the Paint Louis wall as the longest graffiti mural in the world. [3]

2001

Artists came to the city and "bombed" the city by painting all over downtown and outside the boundaries of the Paint Louis river wall causing problems and millions of dollars of damage, and the city of St. Louis shutdown the event. [3]

2012

Two of the original committee members decided to initiate the event formally again with the support of city officials. Artists included Whisper, Stun1 and Peat Wollaeger. [3] [9] [10]

2013

By 2013, Paint Louis hosted 300 artists and had around 1,000 people attend and took place earlier than Labor Day on June 21–23, 2013. [3] [10] [11]

2014

Paint Louis 2014 took place from August 29, 2014 until September 1, 2014 with 200 artists, 1 mile of wall, over 4 days. [12]

Organizers included John Harrington from Midwest Avengers and AJ Sanchez. Organizers spent more than $10,000 to get Paint Louis off the ground. Jona Anderson, better known as Stun or Stun1, said about Paint Louis, "This is like the Super Bowl of graffiti." [13]

2015

Paint Louis 2015 took place Labor Day 2015. [14] After Paint Louis 2015, organizer John Harrington stated that he fears Paint Louis will be cancelled in the future. He noted that 200 writers were invited to participate and propose their works so that wall space may be allocated. But, over 350 writers showed up who did not go through the submission process, so complications arose from the overload. Some artists were unhappy and took action. [15] [16]

Artists who did not go through the submission process painted unsanctioned areas all over town. [15]

Harrington created a cleanup crew of 30 of the Paint Louis event participants who took tips on locations to unsanctioned graffiti to cleanup for free. The crew spent $1,200 to cleanup works receiving complaints. [17]

2016

Paint Louis 2016 took place Labor Day 2016 and was not cancelled as had been predicted in 2015 and consisted of International artists. The size of the wall also reported as "20-feet-by-4-miles." [4] [18] [19]

2017

Paint Louis 2017 took place from September 22–24, 2017, the 20th anniversary of Paint Louis. [20] [21] [22]

2018

Paint Louis 2018 took place Labor Day Weekend from August 31 until September 2, 2018. [3]

Performances were given by F.R.E.S.H. Hip Hop St. Louis, Basement Sound System DJ Collective, Far Fetched Music Collective and Jonezy & Friends. [23] [24] [25]

2019

Paint Louis 2019 continued the annual tradition of graffiti writing from August 28 until September 2, 2019. Paint Louis 2019 focused on women's presence in the art form. [26] Co-founder John Harrington said that 212 artists registered but more than 250 participated at the event to paint 20-foot high murals on the longest graffiti wall in the world. [27]

2020

Paint Louis 2020 is to be held online as an open call for participation. John Harrington, Paint Louis co-founder and organizer stated, “Paint Louis has always been about showcasing local St. Louis artists and Midwest artists as a whole. Over the years, we expanded it to all street and mural artists and it has become an international event. Due to Covid-19, we feel the best way to keep the event safe this year is to do a virtual event featuring all types of visual artists including canvas painters, graphic designers, digital artists, air brushers, muralists, and graffiti art.” All activity for Paint Louis 2020 is organized on the official project webpage. [28] [29]

2021

Paint Louis 2021 returned after the 2020 in-person pandemic hiatus from September 3 through September 5. [30] Over 300 artists participated in the event including artist Norm4eva. [31] [32]

2022

The 25th annual Paint Louis took place from September 1 until September 3, 2023 with over 500 artists participating from around the world. Paint Louis brought hip-hop pioneer KRS-One to perform at the event for free. [2] [33]

2023

Over 500 artist joined the 26th Paint Louis in 2023 which took place between September 1 until September 3. Paint Louis brought respected hiphop artists Souls of Mischief to the event to perform for free. [34] Also, this year began a rebranded event for kids called "Paint Littles" to teach kids how to paint. [8] [35]

2024

Paint Louis 2024 is August 30 until September 1 and features artists from around the world including Peat Eyez, Matt Minetta, Jason "Killer Napkins", Max Presur, Sase 1 WST and hundreds more. [1] This is the 27th year of Paint Louis. [36] Paint Louis brought transformative golden age rapper Rakim to the festival for a sponsored free concert for all attendees. [37]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graffiti</span> Drawings and paintings on walls

Graffiti is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elaborate wall paintings, and has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paducah, Kentucky</span> City in Kentucky, United States

Paducah is a home rule-class city in the Upland South, and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. The largest city in the Jackson Purchase region, it is located in the Southeastern United States at the confluence of the Tennessee and the Ohio rivers, halfway between St. Louis, Missouri, to the northwest and Nashville, Tennessee, to the southeast. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,137, up from 25,024 in 2010. Twenty blocks of the city's downtown have been designated as a historic district and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

St. Louis Lambert International Airport Commercial airport serving St. Louis, Missouri, United States

St. Louis Lambert International Airport is the primary international airport serving metropolitan St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Commonly referred to as Lambert Field or simply Lambert, it is the largest and busiest airport in the state of Missouri. The airport covers 3,793 acres (1,535 ha) of land. STL is located 14 miles (23 km) northwest of downtown St. Louis in unincorporated St. Louis County between Berkeley and Bridgeton. The airport provides nonstop service to airports throughout the United States and to the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada, and Europe. In 2019, it served nearly 16 million passengers. In 2023 there were more than 270 daily departures to 80 nonstop domestic and international locations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banksy</span> Pseudonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist, and painter

Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist, and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stenciling technique. His works of political and social commentary have appeared on streets, walls, and bridges throughout the world. His work grew out of the Bristol underground scene, which involved collaborations between artists and musicians. Banksy says that he was inspired by 3D, a graffiti artist and founding member of the musical group Massive Attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KSDK</span> NBC affiliate in St. Louis

KSDK is a television station in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Tegna Inc. The station's studios are located on Market Street in Downtown St. Louis, and its transmitter is located in Shrewsbury, Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IZ the Wiz</span> American painter

Michael "IZ the Wiz" Martin was one of the most prominent graffiti writers of the New York graffiti movement of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Street art</span> Art that is public and temporary in public spaces

Street art is visual art created in public locations for public visibility. It has been associated with the terms "independent art", "post-graffiti", "neo-graffiti" and guerrilla art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OSGEMEOS</span> Brazilian graffiti-artist duo

OSGEMEOS are identical twin street artists Otavio Pandolfo and Gustavo Pandolfo. They started painting graffiti in 1987 and their work appears on streets and in galleries across the world.

Mural Arts Philadelphia is a non-profit organization that supports the creation of public murals in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1986 as the Mural Arts Program, the organization was renamed in 2016. Having ushered more than 4,000 murals into being, it calls itself "the nation’s largest public art program." As of 2024, the organization runs 50 to 100 public art projects each year, including new murals in neighborhoods such as Kensington, Northern Liberties, and the Gayborhood. It also works to maintain existing murals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newtown area graffiti and street art</span>

Since the 1980s, the area surrounding the Sydney inner west suburb of Newtown, Australia, including the suburbs of Newtown, Enmore, Erskineville, Camperdown and St Peters, has been known for its wide range of prominent graffiti and street art on walls. The public visual art in the Newtown area consists of a variety of styles and methods of execution, including large-scale painted murals, hand-painted political slogans, hand-painted figurative designs, spray painted semi-abstract designs "tags"), and other stylistic developments such as stencil art and street poster art, "Yarn bombing", and sculptural items cast from plaster and other materials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Powers (artist)</span> American artist (born 1968)

Stephen J. Powers is an American contemporary artist and muralist. He is also known by the name ESPO, and Steve Powers. He lives in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kosciusko, St. Louis</span> Neighborhood of St. Louis in Missouri, United States

Kosciusko is a mostly non-residential neighborhood located in St. Louis, Missouri. It begins at the Mississippi River front in the east and goes up to 7th Boulevard and 8th Street in the west. Interstate 55 is a northern border, and St. George and Dorcas Streets border the south of this neighborhood. Kosciusko is named in honor of Tadeusz Kościuszko, an American Revolutionary War general of Polish descent.

RISK, also known as RISKY, is a Los Angeles–based graffiti writer and contemporary artist often credited as a founder of the West Coast graffiti scene. In the 1980s, he was one of the first graffiti writers in Southern California to paint freight trains, and he pioneered writing on "heavens", or freeway overpasses. He took his graffiti into the gallery with the launch of the Third Rail series of art shows, and later created a line of graffiti-inspired clothing. In 2017, RISK was knighted by the Medici Family.

Herb Roe is a painter of large-scale outdoor murals and classical realist oil paintings. After attending the Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio for a short time, he apprenticed to mural artist Robert Dafford. After 15 years with Dafford Murals, Roe left to pursue his own art career. He currently resides in Lafayette, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graffiti in the United States</span>

Graffiti are writing or drawings scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public place. Graffiti ranges from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings. Graffiti, consisting of the defacement of public spaces and buildings, remains a nuisance issue for cities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phetus</span> American artist

Phetus is a New York artist with roots in the graffiti and street art movement. Originally from Huntington, Long Island, now based in Manhattan, "Phetus" has been creating artwork under his "Phat Phace" icon since 1988. He began his career as a graffiti artist by taking trips into New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graffiti in Toronto</span>

Graffiti in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a cause of much disagreement among its residents. Graffiti is seen by some as an art form adding to the Toronto culture; however, others see graffiti as form of vandalism, viewing it as ugly, or as a form of property damage.

In recent years, Atlanta has been called one of the USA's best cities for street art. Street artists have prominently created murals in Krog Street Tunnel, along the BeltLine, and in neighborhoods across the city. The street art conference, Living Walls, the City Speaks, originated in Atlanta in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stik</span> British graffiti artist

Stik, stylised as STIK, is a British graffiti artist based in London. Born in 1979, with no formal art school training, Stik is known for painting large stick figures that are six-lines, and two-dot figures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ROA (artist)</span>

ROA is a graffiti and street artist from Ghent, Belgium. He has created works on the streets of cities across Europe, the United States, Australia, Asia, New Zealand and Africa. ROA generally paints wild or urban animals and birds that are native to the area being painted. ROA usually uses a minimal color palette, such as black and white, but also creates works using vibrant colours depicting the flesh or internal systems within the animals and birds.

"ROA treats each surface he paints like a space to investigate, play with, and fit his creatures into. The technical perfection of his painting belies an underlying resourcefulness with simple tools,” “The animals are matched to their location, with rats in New York City and elephants in Bangkok. There are dark and funny messages, the beauty of both life and death, universal metaphors, inside jokes, and occasional violence, but always in ways that honor the animals and the spaces where they are painted."

References

  1. 1 2 Sophie Proe (30 August 2024). "Photos: Hundreds of graffiti artists make pilgrimage to St. Louis' Paint Louis festival". St. Louis Public Radio. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 "Everything We Saw at the Paint Louis Graffiti Event in St. Louis". Riverfront Times. 5 September 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "A little bit of history". STL Paint Louis. Archived from the original on 27 Oct 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  4. 1 2 Bernhard, Jimmy (3 June 2016). "Our Beautiful City: Paint Louis Graffiti Wall". KSDK. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  5. "THE MURAL MILE (FLOODWALL)". Regional Arts Commission. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  6. 1 2 "Paint Louis to Join Forces with Inaugural St. Louis Hip-Hop Week This Year". River Front Times. 27 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  7. "Scrap Cans for Kids" . Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  8. 1 2 Aaron Doerr; Tristen Rouse (14 September 2023). "Photos: St. Louis kids turned this abandoned building into art at riverfront graffiti fest". St. Louis Public Radio. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  9. Crone, Thomas (9 October 2012). "The Return of Paint Louis, as Told in Three Acts". St. Louis Magazine. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  10. 1 2 Crone, Thomas (31 July 2013). "A Second Run of Paint Louis". St. Louis Magazine. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  11. "Paint Louis 2013". STL Paint Louis. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  12. "Paint Louis 2014". STL Paint Louis. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  13. Arnold, WILLIS RYDER (30 August 2014). "Graffiti Festival Paint Louis Begins Second Year Reboot". STL Paint Louis. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  14. "Paint Louis 2015". STL Paint Louis. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  15. 1 2 Essig, Jeremy (22 September 2015). "Paint Louis in Jeopardy After Graffiti Artists "Bomb" St. Louis". Riverfront Times. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  16. SCHANKMAN, PAUL (7 October 2015). "Graffiti artist causing headaches for MoDOT and St. Louis city". Fox2now. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  17. Bock, Jessica (1 December 2015). "Graffiti complaints rise in St. Louis; is artistic competition to blame?". St Louis Today. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  18. "Paint Louis 2016". STL Paint Louis. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  19. "International Artists Descend on St. Louis for 'Paint Louis'". CBS. 2 September 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  20. "Paint Louis 2017". STL Paint Louis. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  21. Gutknecht, Boomer (24 September 2017). "Paint Louis 2017" . Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  22. BECK, KARL (11 October 2017). "Paint Louis Adds a Fresh Coat to the Riverfront". The Art STL. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  23. "Paint Louis 2018". do314. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  24. "Video: Paint Louis weekend has arrived, and so have the graffiti artists". St. Louis Dispatch. 1 September 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  25. "Photos: Paint Louis along the riverfront flood wall". St. Louis Dispatch. 1 September 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  26. DEWARREN SMITH (29 Aug 2019). "This Weekend Paint Louis Returns to Saint Louis". DeluxMag. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  27. Bria Gremillion (5 Sep 2019). "Hundreds of street artists brighten riverfront in Paint Louis". METROSTL. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  28. "Paint Louis 2020 Call for Participation for Artists". Fabricatorz Foundation News. 11 August 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  29. "Paint Louis". Paint Louis Facebook Page. 5 August 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  30. "Paint Louis 2021". Paint Louis Instagram Announcement. 11 July 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  31. Rhyan Henson (4 September 2021). "Paint Louis brightens St. Louis floodwall". KSDK. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  32. Daniel Schular (5 September 2021). "Paint Louis Returns After 2020 Hiatus". STLToday. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  33. Liz Dowell (21 September 2023). "'Paint Louis' artists display their craft on the riverfront wall". KSDK. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  34. Chadd Scott (13 August 2023). "Paint Louis Returns For 26th Year Colorizing St. Louis Floodwall". Forbes. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  35. Liz Dowell; Kalista Mitrisin (31 August 2023). "Events at the graffiti wall for the 26th 'Paint Louis' weekend". fox2now. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  36. "Happening in the Lou: Japanese Festival, Paint Louis". KSDK. 30 August 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  37. Melissa Meinzer (28 August 2024). "Top 5 things to do in St. Louis this weekend: August 30–September 1". St. Louis Magazine. Retrieved 2 September 2024.