Street Cred

It may seem strange, but one of the things I wanted to see on my first trip to NYC was some real subway graffiti. It was spring of 1987, and Keith Haring's simple - yet powerful - outline-ish drawings were popping up everywhere. His art, and graffiti in general, was atop the list with finding a job, shopping at Tower Records, and pondering if I could make it there on that initial visit.

Flash forward 24 years, 21 of those spent in LA, and I'm again seeking out graffiti at the Pasadena Museum of California Art and their Street Cred exhibit. The "from Concrete to Canvas" subtitle hints to the displays of an artist's graffiti next to his gallery-ready painting, drawing or sculpture inspired by and connected to the rougher "street" art. Cool concept!

You'll also walk away with a good 101 understanding of the artform, such as tags versus bombs, legality issues, evolving styles, and where you can see graffiti in LA.

This photo is from PMCA's parking lot, with graffiti-ed walls, just for the show, I'm assuming.

Click here to go to PMCA's Web site.

Click here to go to Keith Haring's Web site.