Spray for councils over graffiti art class

Street art classes run by two Melbourne councils have come under fire, with a ratepayers group concerned the “ridiculous” course will only lead to more graffiti problems.

Teens are being offered free graffiti lessons by two councils in Melbourne’s west.

The ratepayer-funded school holiday workshop is described as an opportunity for youths “to express their artistic talents within a managed and mentored environment”.

Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay councils have jointly organised the two-hour session, designed for 12-18-year-olds.

Promotion of the class includes social media posts saying: “Are you a young person interested in learning graffiti and stencil art?”

MORE: LINE BETWEEN STREET ART AND VANDALISM

STREET ART CARRIES A MESSAGE

GRAFFITI VANDALISM GIVES MELBOURNE A BAD NAME

The event in Braybrook on January 23 will include lessons in how to use spray paint cans and stencils, followed by a discussion on graffiti laws.

But it’s come under criticism as a “ridiculous” idea that could encourage illegal graffiti.

Ratepayers Victoria president Jack Davis said he was concerned it sent the wrong message.

“Teaching about the rules of graffiti, I agree with that, but I don’t think they should be teaching people how to graffiti,” he said.

“That’s just ridiculous. Graffiti is a major issue. This is only going to lead to more graffiti.”

The classes will include how to use spray paint cans. Picture: File/Phil Rogers

Maribyrnong council community services director Clem Gillings said: “This activity does not encourage illegal graffiti but in fact, demonstrates the opposite.”

She said teenagers would be taught about responsible graffiti and street art, including the laws around access and getting permission.

“The workshop acknowledges young people have a strong interest in this type of artistic expression so it is important a session like this is facilitated responsibly,” she said.

Hobsons Bay community wellbeing director Peter Hunt said the graffiti workshop was a way to educate young people about the differences between illegal tagging and street art.

He said they were not the council’s first graffiti classes.

“We have found previous participants have embraced the opportunity to use street art to express their creativity in a controlled environment,” he said.

George Rose, a graffiti artist, ran a Melbourne City workshop in which children were taught how to make legal street art.

Melbourne City Council on Sunday held a graffiti workshop for children aged 9-12.

The event cost $16 per child and was hosted by street artist George Rose, who taught them to use spray paint cans and how to differentiate between legal street art and vandalism.

A Melbourne City Council spokesman said the session “educates children on what constitutes legal and illegal art activities in the public realm”.

The council spent more than $800,000 a year cleaning up graffiti, the spokesman said.

Maribyrnong council spent about $780,000 on graffiti ­removal last year.

Hobsons Bay said its graffiti clean-up bill was more than $300,000 per year.

Metro Trains said its annual graffiti removal budget was about $10 million.

A Metro spokesman said the organisation worked closely with Victoria Police to tackle the issue and deter young people from illegal tagging.

“Graffiti vandalism is ugly, offensive and has no place on our rail network,” he said.

“To further deter this sort of behaviour, Metro’s Community Education Unit also works directly with schools across Melbourne to promote safe train travel.”

[e-mail]