Dedicated to critical cultural production at the intersection of art and activism.

“Spray paint is not healthy for children and other living things” is a credo that informs the street art of Jesse Graves. Fashioning his stencils with politics and community in mind, he paints with mud, preserving the environment, human health, and his canvases at the same time. I conversed with Jesse recently about his chosen medium and the politics that inform his work.

Groundswell Collective: What brought you to stencil graffiti?

Jesse Graves: I started making mud stencils in an art class called Guerrilla Printmaking taught by Nicolas Lampert at UW Milwaukee. Nicolas is a street artist, and a member of the Just Seeds print collective. For each assignment we had to get our art out of the classroom and into the world. We could put it in a gallery; online, in a public space, or anywhere else we could think of. I was mostly interested in putting my work in public spaces. For one of our assignments we had to create a stencil.

GC: When did you first conceive of using mud as your medium? What was the inspiration?

JG: I began using mud as my stencil medium to solve the problem of how to create a stencil without using spray paint. Spray paint is very toxic and can cause brain damage if frequently ingested. It is also difficult to remove from buildings. I have no interest in creating art that damages property or is unwanted. If someone does not like my stencils they can easily wash them off. I also asked a few local businesses if I could put a stencil on their property. All of them have agreed. By receiving property owners consent a street artist can created work that is wanted, and stays up longer.

I have no interest in creating art that damages property or is unwanted. If someone does not like my stencils they can easily wash them off.

As I continued working with mud I become interested in the aesthetic qualities of the medium. Unlike spray paint, mud has texture. A mud stencil also has the ability to draw attention because it is an alternative medium for stencils. People do not expect to see mud on a wall. I was surprised to find how durable mud actually is. Some of the stencils that I posted five months ago, ones that are not directly expose to the elements, are still up.

My overarching objectives with mud stencils are: to first, eliminate negative stigmas associated with street art; also to put provocative environmental messages in public spaces, and do so in a way that does not have a negative environmental impact. In addition, I hope to see others try mud stencils and find new ways to make them. The negative stigmas I see against street art are the false beliefs that street art is gang related and destructive. Spray paint and stupid tags can destroy property, but most street artists are respectful with the placement of their work.

GC: Any run-ins with the law?

JG: I have not had any run-ins with the law, but I would not be surprised if I do in the future. I am ready to make my “its just mud argument”. There is no crime in putting them on sidewalks, but I am not sure about walls.

GC: We’ve encountered other eco-minded urban art projects lately – moss graffiti and guerrilla gardening, for example. Do you have the sense that there is a trend that’s happening? Do you plan on joining forces with other, like-minded artists, or have you in the past?

JG: I have noticed moss graffiti and guerrilla gardening, and I think they are both great ideas. There does seem to be a trend in environmentally-friendly street art. I hope to see more artists taking interest in it.

For mud stencils I have been mentioned in the Just Seeds blog. A news service company, and a free Milwaukee paper have also interviewed me. I was commissioned by UW Milwaukee’s union to advertise for earth week on campus. Thus the “Share the Earth” stencils. I displayed work in a urban ecology and activism art show called Seeing Green curated by Nicolas Lampert.

I have not collaborated with any other street artists using eco-friendly mediums, but I am definitely interested in doing so. I have plans for a collaboration involving stop animation. I have ideas for new stencils and am working on a way to post them faster. I am also working on finding a different material to cut them out of. Mylar has a tendency to roll up, and I do not like plastic. I definitely plan on continuing with mud stencils.

Related posts:

1. Groundswell Talks: Geoff Hargadon (Cash for Your Warhol)
2. Groundswell Talks: Better World Advertising
3. Groundswell Talks: Rebecca Lerner, Urban Forager
4. Mud Stencils for Prison Reform
5. Groundswell Weekly Review: July 26 – August 1, 2009

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