At The Hunter: The Big Apple Graffiti Art Of “City As Canvas”

From “City As Canvas: Graffiti Art From The Martin Wong Collection.”(Hunter Museum of American Art)Graffiti dates back centuries - with samples found from Ancient Rome to Mayan ruins to medieval churches in England.In New York City during the 1970’s, graffiti was considered underground and illicit - often spraypainted by teenagers on buildings and subways.Martin Wong began to collect samples of that graffiti from the writers who would later have prominent careers in the arts, fashion and music.“City as Canvas: Graffiti Arts from the Martin Wong Collection” is an exhibition now on display at the Hunter Museum of American Art here in Chattanooga through January 13th.Sean Corcoran is the Senior Curator of Prints and Photographs at the Museum of the City of New York, which curated the exhibition.I spoke with him - and Nandini Makrandi, the Hunter’s chief curator.