It seems that when society sees graffiti they see it a nuisance rather than an art form. Though lately things have changed in some places with sanctioned spaces where artists can legally show their skills without too much attention from authorities. Graffiti has history and culture which started in the 60’s and 70’s in New York City. Originally taggers would mark trains but it eventually spread to buildings and other places. I’m drawn to graffiti by its awe and untamed artistic values as well as political messages. I saw some graffiti on a trip to Montreal a few years ago and have been interested ever since. I can respect the time, dedication and evolution of the art form as well. Although graffiti has its roots in New York City I found some on several trips to Providence, RI last year.
On a few trips I had taken prior to Providence I had seen graffiti in various places but never had the time to stop and take any pictures. So this time around I had some time to kill and decided to do a quick search on my phone and see what was around the area. I also asked some people to see if they knew any of the local spots.
This a random piece near the stairs at the mall.
One of the spots that I found is near the Gano St. Market at the corner of Gano St. and Power St. Follow Power St. through the park and into the woods.
When you start walking through the woods you’ll see top of the bridge through the trees.
Apparently this decommissioned railroad bridge is stuck in the up position. I considered going and checking out the other end but decided against it. Pretty sketchy.
The bridge is cool and all but that’s not quite what I was looking for. It’s what’s below the bridge that’s the key.
Apparently Gano St. bridge is one of the most popular spots in Providence so I’m sure by the time you see this a lot of it has already been painted over.
After checking out the railroad bridge I headed in the other direction and followed the railroad tracks into the woods.
And what I found was quite awesome.
The piece below has been estimated to have been there for over 20 years. “The Faces” is an old RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) piece.
On the other side of the East Side Railroad Tunnel is the Rhode Island School of Design that’s why some people call it the RISD tunnel instead. It was also a hot spot for parties apparently which subsequently cause it’s closing. There’s supposed to be some really awesome graffiti in the tunnel but it quite inaccessible due to lots of water and it was also welded shut. But I definitely enjoyed what I saw on the outside. I still had to jump across random pallets and large branches on the ground to avoid the giant puddles of water to get these shots.
That was it for that weekend because I had run out of time. But the following week I went and checked out another spot. I did a bit of research while getting some coffee.
The other spot I found was under the Fox Point Highway. Go south down Gano St. at the entrance to 195, take a left across the street. Jump over the median, walk down a hill, and take a right underneath the bridge. There you’ll see about 30 years of Providence history. The funny part about that is when I got here all I saw it was the black and white mural. I didn’t realize what was down below to the right.
HI MOM… I’M A VANDAL NOW
WORD.
Oh Hi doggie…
Now to check out the rest.
It’s a lot higher than it looks.
Now there’s the matter of the sketchy rope…
Yeah.
Totally worth it though.
Although I’m not really familiar with any of the local artists I can definitely appreciate their work. I do also know that the dude that started the OBEY movement came from around here. I saw a lot clothing in the nearby stores that had OBEY on it. I definitely got some good shots and it was a learning experience for sure. Hope you all enjoyed the artwork!
