Since the beginning of the semester, new pieces of art began appearing across campus—pieces of art not sanctioned by the Institute. The spray-painted graffiti has appeared on Institute buildings and walkways including the Quad, the JEC, and the 15th Street footbridge.
In the morning of October 26, two students were found in the act of spray-painting the JEC and arrested by Public Safety. According to Jerry Matthews, Director of Public Safety, these students, Conor Sheehan ’09 and Brendan Hamilton ’11, were charged with vandalism and criminal mischief, both misdemeanors.
Hamilton and Sheehan are not the only ones that have left their artwork on campus buildings, they say, though they don’t know any of the others leaving their mark. They do, however, admit to the graffiti they were caught committing.
“When we did it, we didn’t realize the amount of appreciation the art would get,” said Hamilton, but they also did not anticipate the backlash. “It’s not worth the trouble it causes,” said Sheehan. The cases against Brendan and Sheehan are still pending in both city court and the RPI judicial process.
Matthews says that in some cases, the individuals are lucky they didn’t get hurt. Some of the graffiti was only possible with the aid of a ladder, he said, exposing the artists to significant risk of injury. While the art was described by Matthews as “benign,” he expressed that it takes significant resources to remove the art from buildings. He also commented that such graffiti art can often be an eyesore to visitors and devalue the campus as a whole.
At the last meeting of the Freshman Class Council, a proposal was brought up that the class gift be a graffiti wall. The proposal was very well received by council, according to Freshman Class Vice President Chase Miller. The warm reception has prompted the class to look into discussing the proposed plan with the administration.
“Originally, in the summer, the idea was being looked into, but there really didn’t seem to be enough backing from the students, so no further effort was put forth,” said Miller, “but at the [Senate] meeting [Tuesday], everyone seemed interested in general.” The Facilities, Finance, and Advancement Committee was assigned to look into the possibility of a public graffiti wall becoming a reality.
Such a suggestion is not without precedent. This past year, the Arts Department sponsored a Navigating Rensselaer and Beyond event titled “Mural and Graffiti Art,” inviting first-year students to “leave their mark by adding a new layer to the West Hall graffiti and mural wall.” The activity included the design and construction of stencil art, planning and painting murals and graffiti, and poster art.
In anticipation of the restitution costs they’ll need to pay, Hamilton and Sheehan have been working on ways to raise money, including selling t-shirts and holding a benefit concert with Ground Zero. The concert went well, according to Sheehan, with over 60 people in attendance. All the proceeds of both efforts will go to paying any restitution they are assessed.
