I stumbled on this book — Guerilla Art Guide: Everything You Need to Put Your Message Out In The World — in the library by chance and decided, it’s worth a look. Keri Smith lays out a bunch of reasons why taking the art to the streets — in a responsible way — is one way to imagine that the world is really a canvas. The book lays out the philosophical rationale for why a person might want to leave art for the public to stumble upon, and whether political or not, how art might have an influence on the society at large.
There are a bunch of different project ideas — from Wish Trees to the Unexpected Object to Coupon Poster to Postcards — that push back against the idea of corporate advertising in our public worlds. Smith straddles the lines of legality, and urges readers to use material that neither deface any public facades and is kind for the environment.
I liked that the end of the book had a bunch of templates that one could use or remix, for making environmentally-friendly stickers (there is a glue recipe inside the book) and public postcards and more. All in all, Guerilla Art Guide was a quick read but also rather inspirational. I’m now looking at my public places a little differently, noticing the Guerilla art that already exists and thinking of the world as a canvas.
This book had a real CLMOOC feel to it, and I appreciated that.
Peace (it’s there),
Kevin