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“It is something to be able to paint a particular picture, or to carve a statue, and so make a few object beautiful; but it is far mor elgorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look. To affect the quality of the day – that is the highest of arts.” ~ Henry David Thoreau, from inside the cover of The Guerilla Art Kit

guerilla2I have really enjoyed reading Keri Smith’s book The Guerilla Art Kit. It’s fantastic and inspiration and practical for any artist who wants to see art break through traditional borders. And her disclaimer on “Going Out” is fantastic:

“It is true that some of the exercises contained in this book may be considered ‘illegal’ by some. On a societal level, I question why it is perfectly acceptable that we are forced to look at advertising ona  constant basis (on billboards, bus shelters, public restrooms, etc.), and yet something that is a form of personal expression (not created with the intention of selling us something) is deemed ‘illegal.’ I do understand that people have a problem with material and property being ‘damaged’ and so in my own personal practices I try to be conscious of using materials that are environmentally friendly and nondestructive.” (p. 22)

Join the movement. To get you started, Kerri’s book is full of the techniques and resources you need to begin your journey as a guerilla artist. Here are the top ten blogs by fellow guerrilla artists. May they inspire you to put your own art out into the world.

  1. Wish Jar | Kerri Smith. Kerri is the author of The Guerilla Art Kit and lists some great ideas on her blog. You can also participate in a community of guerilla artists in her comments section.
  2. Banksy. Banksy doesn’t have a blog, but you should visit his website just to be inspired by the images of his brilliant guerilla art. You can learn more about him here and here.
  3. Bearded Bunny Blog. William’s sticker monster art is hilarious and appropriate. I wish I could see it in person.
  4. GRRL + Dog. The Global Guerilla Knit-Up Challenge began here and started a knitting-meets-guerilla-art movement. See pictures from participants in the challenge here.
  5. Jafabrit’s Art. Whether she admits it or not, this girl is a guerilla artist at heart. She finds new and creative ways of putting her art out into the world.
  6. Purl Interrupted. Lauren is a guerilla artist living in London. I love her take on life and art and community. She “knit-up” at St. Paul’s Cathedral. Bold!
  7. Madly Creative. Lady’s P’s determined (and successful!) “yarn bombing” guerilla art just makes me smile.
  8. Guerilla Innovation. Sebastian Campion’s blog is like a newsfeed of the many creative, out of the box, guerilla art innovations going on around the world. Definitely bookmark- and RSS feed-worthy.
  9. SIT Projects. Guerilla art meets sustainability meets social in this installation by Paola Mojica and Daniel Clapp. Learn more about the installation here.
  10. Sam Morrison. Sam is an artist based in Michigan. You can view images of his guerilla art installations on Flickr and YouTube and purchase his art through Etsy.

One of the hallmarks of a true guerilla artist is plausible deniability, which unfortunately makes them a little difficult to identify and their work hard to share across the blogosphere. If you have a favorite guerilla artist, please post a link in the comments!

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