Graffiti tuition for children

Apr 29 2008 By Crystal Deane

A GROUP of street artists is giving Birmingham school-children extra-curricular lessons, in graffiti.

The team is aiming to steer youngsters away from the "tagging" that blights private property in the city by showing them how they can turn their "aerosol art" skills into successful careers.

The group, which runs the West Midlands' only shop dedicated to graffiti art, has already worked with teenagers from one secondary school in the area and is in talks to do more workshops with children as young as primary school age.

Jim Waterston, a partner at In A City Arts on York Road, Kings Heath, whose tagging name is Mekx, said: "Graffiti is an issue within the community.

"It has a lot of negative connotations and understandably if someone came and wrote on my house I would think it is a destructive to houses and businesses.

"We want to show it is more than tagging. It is art. There are job prospects. Graphic design studios are employing a lot graffiti artists because of the diversity of their artistic talents."

Works by world-famous British graffiti artist Banksy have become collectors' items with celebrities such as Hollywood A-lister Angelina Jolie reputed to have spent £200,000 on one of his pieces last year.

Mr Waterston said tagging was often a first step among youngsters who yearned creative expression but had no other outlet.

The graffiti artists believe they can have greater success positively channelling the energy of young taggers than lectures from teachers and politicians.

They also plan to set up a managed legal centre for graffiti artists to practice to prevent them using city buildings as their canvas to replace one that closed down in Selly Oak.

In A City Arts recently worked with a group from Bishop Challoner School in Kings Heath.

Co-partner Martin Edwards, whose tagging name is Hoax, added: "We are looking to work with more schools and primary schools."