A Hands-On Experience with Street Art

Today, the Honors students in Rennes got to learn the history of graffiti and street art, see examples of various types of street art, and (legally) practice it themselves! Together, they decided to write “Voyager ouvre l’esprit” (traveling opens the mind).

Here is what some of our students had to say about today’s experience:

“The fact that no two [pieces of street art] look the same is impressive”. -Valentina A. 

“They use similar colors, but each artist’s art looks so different, it’s interesting. It’s also interesting how many English words there are.” -Amanda T

“It’s cool that they can do this and it isn’t shamed as much here, that people are so open”. -Nathalie C.

“I think it looks better and more put together than of lot of the graffiti I see in the US. This looks like art, and very meaningful, like they did it for a reason and not just for fun.” -Samayah C

“I think it looks similar to what we see at home. It’s all good, there’s nothing better than the other, it’s really an art.” -Betial U

“It reminds me of a wall in Chicago with the train and graffiti, but that’s not organized. It’s illegally done there, like we learned about in the Bronx. There are paintings by indigenous Mexican artists there and you can see layers and history. It’s more natural. This one is more planned, with the festival every two years”. -Marcela M.

“I explored my creative side while painting! I also learned the history of graffiti and street art, how it started in New York, the Bronx, and for me it felt personal because I live next to New York and now I know that I can go there to see graffiti and understand it in a new way.” -Isabella M.

“There are a lot of different, diverse forms of graffiti and street art. It’s interesting to consider the street like a museum that’s open to everyone.” -Odysseas C.