Graffiti-Hiding Mural Upsets City
Posted May 22, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Not many of us can really answer the question, “What is art?” But Darlene Richards, who owns a building on Kingston Rd., in Toronto’s east end, has a pretty good idea what isn’t. And the random tags and scrawls of spray paint that frequently found an unwanted home on her property fit into the ‘not art’ category.
In fact, they were an eyesore. But Richards wasn’t about to accept a life of staring at talent-less scrawls, so she came up with a solution. She hired five young artists to create a mural that would cover up the tags. The impressive piece was completed and out of respect for the work, taggers stopped targeting the property.
Neighbours also seemed to appreciate the step up in quality that the work represented, and everyone involved seemed to be happy with the outcome.
Everyone but the city, that is.
“When we put it up, a couple weeks later I received a notice from the city saying I had graffiti on my wall and I had to take it down,” Richards explains.
“I hired the guys to do a mural they did a lovely mural and it’s not been tagged yet,” she adds. “I.think it’s art and I think it should be allowed to stay.”
City Councillor Sandra Bussin disagrees.
“A tag for a tag isn’t a solution, it isn’t,” she counters. When asked if she thinks the mural is art, she responded with an emphatic “No.”
Residents in the area don’t see why the city should be butting in.
“This is her building. She likes it and I like it and the people like it so why should it come off?” asked one resident.
“I find it quite bright and enjoyable. What’s wrong with that?” another questioned.
In the meantime, Richards is refusing to have the mural removed after paying for it and says she’ll take the case to court if need be.
