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DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Dozens of middle-school students in Dubuque have been tasked with writing an essay about whether they consider graffiti to be vandalism or art, as part of a writing standards component in the Iowa Core.
Heather Cairns, an eighth-grade language arts teacher at Thomas Jefferson Middle School, came up with the assignment after hearing about a street art gallery at Voices from the Warehouse District.
Cairns decided to assign the paper because she thought her students would have a lot to say about the nature of graffiti, she told the Telegraph Herald (http://bit.ly/1M9dD7m ).
On Monday, Cairns brought about 80 students in small groups to the gallery to learn more about street art and its culture.
Chad Witthoeft, a volunteer at Voices from the Warehouse District, started off the tour by explaining vandalism. He said vandalism is different than art because it detracts or takes away from the beauty of something.
"What's the difference between art and graffiti (or vandalism)? It's about 10,000 hours," Witthoeft said.
Gryphon Metcalf, one of Cairns' students, came to the conclusion that graffiti can be both art and vandalism, depending on the artist's intent. He said if the artist intends to create something beautiful, even if it's created in a public space without permission, then his or her creation is art.
"Whether it's determined a crime or not, it doesn't change if it's art," Gryphon said.
Another student, Catherine Schueller, appreciated the graffiti featured at the gallery but had a harder time determining whether the pieces should be considered art or vandalism.
"It's really weird. Both sides have really strong arguments," Catherine said, later adding, "Sometimes it's hard to pick a side."
Students will combine takeaways from the visit with information they learned from news outlets and journal articles to support their argument. They must clearly explain their reasoning and cite evidence to support the argument, Cairns said.
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Information from: Telegraph Herald, http://www.thonline.com
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