Graffiti(n.pl.graf·fi·ti) a drawing or inscription made on a wall or other surface usually so as to be seen by the public. -accoring to the dictionary
Graffiti is a hot topic among many and is one of the most understood and misrepresented forms of art worldwide. We encourage those who see this as "vandalism" to look further into the issue, an issue that has been around since ancient times and one that still exists today.
We can continue to put taxpayers money into abatement but education and opportunity are also effective tools that have been found to make an impact.
There are many social, economic, and political issues surrounding graffiti that need to be discussed in order to understand why the interest in graffiti today is at an all time high. We encourage those who participate in graffiti culture as well as those who view graffiti as an illegal activity to join us in finding solutions for our communities...
TRUE Skool's Graffiti Art Initiative
Education!!! We achieve this through workshops, community projects, murals, lectures and brochures (Vandalism vs. Graffiti Art, Graffiti as an Art Form and Social Movement, Intellectual Property Rights, etc) Contact Us for info on conducting a workshops for you!
Promoting Graffiti as an Art Form and related events such as Gallery Shows, Murals, and more (We do NOT condone tagging/vandalism of any kind)
Community Beautification Projects/Public Art Spaces
Commissioned Walls by businesses, community organizations, churches, home owners, etc.
Community Service Program
TRUE Skool has partnered with the Milwaukee Municipal Court Judges and Home Depot. We receive referrals of young people who may have been citied for a graffiti related crime. We offer community service, education, abatement through generous donations of paint and supplies from Home Depot for residents and business owners. Contact us for more information and click here to learn more about this program.
"Diego Rivera believed that art should play a role in empowering working people to understand their own histories."
True Skool's Graffiti Initiative Journal click here to read our 2007 Journal click here to read our 2006 Journal click here to read our 2005 Journal
January 2008... TRUE Skool, as a Safe & Sound 2008 Grantee, starts Graffiti Art Classes 1/17/08 at our office located at 4850 W. Fond du Lac Ave. We also start our Community Service Program for those with tagging/vandalism offenses.
May 2008... TRUE Skool completed our first illegal graffiti/community clean up at the Basura Bash on the south side of Milwaukee with over 20 other agencies.
June 2008...
TRUE Skool prepares for our 1st Community Mural on South 12th St & National Ave.
July 2008...
Graffology, clean ups, more murals...
August 2008... More murals and clean ups!
“We planned to be out rocking freights or walls but instead painted [with T.R.U.E. Skool]...I’m getting to old to be running around at night risking my job and stability. We all are. We spent time and effort creating something that was legal and it will get more exposure than any illegal piecewe could do anywhere in the city. We support your efforts 100%” -Local Veteran Graffiti Artist
KET, COPE2, TRUE Skool Co-Founders Eliot and Sarah and T-Kid, July 9th 2006.
Legal Wall in Madison, WI... Mother Fool's Coffeehouse in Madison, WI gained support from residents, businesses and the City Planning Commission and has had rotating pieces since 2001.
Read how Philadelphia uses Graffiti to beautify and heal neighborhoods. To view more photos of murals click here...
and in our capital, Washington D.C.
This is an example of a "Legal Wall". This mural was completed summer of 2007 and is located at 35th St. & Vliet St. in Milwaukee by TRUE Skool's Co-Founder Eliot Patterson and local artist Ben Stark.
Co-Founder Sarah Dollhausen speaking about Hip Hop and Graffiti Art at the 2007 Common Ground Conference at the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha.
This is an example of one of our first Graffiti Art students using what they learned and creating a positive outlet and opportunity out of it at Waukesha South High School..
The Can-onization of Michelangelo It took Michelangelo four years to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling (1508-1512), but in Waterloo, Iowa, graffiti artist Paco Rosic managed to repeat the feat in only four months - using spray paint to depict a 1/2 scale version of the celebrated frescoes on the ceiling of a building his family has converted into a restaurant.
New Plan to Beat Graffiti...
Community clean-up days, household removal guides and legal mural
spaces are being touted as the answer to graffiti problems in the
Redlands.
New Plan to Beat Graffiti...