Last week I had the pleasure of attending the opening event for the newest exhibit at the Corcoran College of Art + Design – Ill Street Blues.  The college-organized exhibit was an ode to the often misunderstood world of street art and graffiti, as students and street artists displayed their works of art directly on the gallery walls.  ‘Ill Street Blues’ was inspired by the absolutely breathtaking ‘Pump Me Up: DC Subculture of the 1980s’ exhibition going on at the big sister, Corcoran Gallery of Art.

Upon entering Gallery 31, my brain was on sensory overload as I took in the various styles of graffiti displayed all over the at least 15-ft high walls.  If the visuals weren’t enough, there was a DJ spinning early 90s hip hop (my fave!)  to complement the buzzing audience of DC hipsters that were trying to casually snap pictures on their iPhones.  I found that the exhibit was clearly divided into a student and a “professional” section, based on level of artwork skill.  To the left of the entry marked where the student artwork begun and included everything from pieces that looked like cartoon strips, repeat patterns and mosaic-like murals.  Behind the DJ booth marked where the work of the non-student artists begun and it was obviously much cleaner, in my opinion more thought out and overall more creative.  A lot of the artwork overlapped which was interesting to see where and how the artists blended with each other.

Mas paz!

I specifically went to this exhibit because my friend Rico aka Mas Paz was doing his thing in the non-student section and of course he did not disappoint.  For more information on him, please check out this story I wrote for Downtown Traveler.  I had a good time at the event, but the exhibit itself was difficult to follow because it was not curated at all.  In fact, I think the only reason that I had the slightest indication of what exactly was going on in that room is because I was at the opening event and knew an artist that was participating.  He in turn introduced me to the other artists that were present that then explained their pieces to me.  That said, if you happen to be in DC, it’s worth checking out.  Perhaps I missed some literature about it on my way in.  Ill Street Blues will be on display until April 14.