MIAMI, Fla. — The spot to experience colorful street artwork is the Wynwood district of Miami, which some observers say is the graffiti capital of the United States.
What was once an area of homelessness and abandoned warehouses has slowly transformed into a trendy and celebrated collection of graffiti-covered walls, buildings and a Museum of Graffiti.
Museum general manager Lexi Archambeau said the facility tells the story of the rise of graffiti across America.
“It really talks about how graffiti started as vandalism and was and still is criminalized,” Archambeau said. “But then how it became more mainstream.”
Visitors to the museum will learn about different tagging (often illegal) handwriting styles from around the country to seeing how the street art has gone mainstream.
“From album covers to skateboards, artists have produced content for mainstream products,” Archambeau said.
Wynwood is a community that has become committed to street art. From the Wynwood Walls to the surrounding streets, artists have been able to paint on walls, buildings and water towers.
The finished works create an eclectic, vibrant district that anyone can visit and photograph.
One man who knows the Miami’s street art scene is Bill Krowl, AKA Dolla Short, who has been spray painting in Central Florida for 30-years.
“You can take a blank wall and create something beautiful and brighten someone’s day,” Krowl said.
Krowl’s murals can be seen around Orlando and Miami, and his talents began as a kid tagging around town.
“Like, as a kid, I think everybody gets their start, like, running around town with a spray can and a marker.” Krowl said.
These days, Krowl’s art is legal, in demand, and he gets paid to spray paint on structures.
He has painted multiple murals at the NASH, a mural space in Orlando where artists can showcase their creativity.
“The NASH is a special place in Central Florida that gives artists a place to express their talents,” Krowl said.
One mural on the front of the Hittin’ Skins company building (downtown Orlando) is 20 feet high and 80 feet long and was painted in about a week.
The Museum of Graffiti is open seven days a week and even offers graffiti classes for beginners.
The cost is $16 for adults, and children 13 and under are free.
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