Street artist Dan Metcalfe says he hopes to seperate graffiti murals like his from tagging.
What was once seen as a form of vandalism is now being encouraged by store owners around the city and the proof is on the back of Bouchey’s, a grocery store, and Maxwell’s Bistro on Elgin Street.
Graffiti murals are becoming more popular in cities across Canada for numerous reasons.
Somerset Coun. Diane Holmes says that graffiti murals beautify the city and are also very cost efficient for storeowners because they keep taggers away.
“Graffiti murals are very popular and are constantly changing the look of the city,” Holmes says. “I think it is important, I think we need more of that kind of artistry in Ottawa.”
Tagging, however, is another matter. Graffiti murals are used to improve the look of a building, whereas tagging is when a person uses spray paint to make a mark or symbol to deface property, according to graffiti artists.
Dan Metcalfe and the group of artists painting on the back of Bouchey’s and Maxwell’s Bistro oppose this kind of vandalism.
“There have been people saying ‘Why are you giving graffiti artists space? Those people vandalize walls,’ ” Metcalfe says. “But we are trying to separate from that. We are actual artists.”
Metcalfe works with a group called The Keepsix Collective, which specializes in providing local street artists with a legal opportunity to beautify the city space around them and connects artists with residents and businesses.
The mural at Maxwell’s Bistro, where the artists have been working, is now a scene displaying Ottawa heritage, from the Rideau Canal to the city’s famous tulips. Covering the entire back wall, the paintings are full of colour and detail, art one would never expect to find on the back of a grocery store.
The beauty of the art is only one of the reasons the owners of the buildings allow these murals.
“It was either that or having the people come at three in the morning tagging our buildings behind our backs,” said Mark Bouchey, one of the owners of the Bouchey’s and Maxwell’s Bistro buildings.
At a city council meeting in early December, the community and protective services committee recommended that the city of Ottawa allow further murals to be placed in areas around the city that will reflect the local character of the business area and reduce the occurrence of tagging.
The painting at Elgin is an example of the city’s attempt to initiate this project and Bouchey, as a business owner, says he was glad to be a test building and have graffiti murals on his walls. He says he wanted to give back to the city.
“I don’t think it will increase my business but does add some beauty to the community,” he says.
Bouchey says that preventing graffiti is an issue that many store owners deal with and that graffiti murals are a great way to do that.
“I think it prevents tagging because I’m hoping the taggers will respect another artist’s work and not tag over them,” he says.
“I think with graffiti taggers they have a little bit more respect because they themselves do it. They appreciate the talent and the ability that goes into it,” Metcalfe says.