COMPLETE: Masonic Temple Hotel

[quente]

http://www.projo.com/business/content/proj...06.2fe43bf.html

[Cotuit]

I think that's awesome, good for them. It's as much a part of the history of the building and this city as anything else is.

[Liamlunchtray]

Why on God's green earth would they want to "celebrate" that? While the bathroom is the best place to display such "artwork", I'm not sure why they'd want to inflict that sort of decor in the restaurant. Oy vey.

[inProv]

Good grafiti is a great example of urban american folk art.

[quente]

I think that's awesome, good for them. It's as much a part of the history of the building and this city as anything else is.

[Griswald]

I'm not sure how much of it is left, but there used to be some awesome grafiti near the house I grew up in - on a retaining wall near some RISD housing on Congdon Street. It was quality enough to be put on display anywhere, and celebrated as local urban art.

On the same subject, has anyone seen restrooms in bars where they hang chalk boards or dry erase boards in front of the urinals so that people can write stuff? I think it's a good idea and prevents the interior finishes from getting ruined.

[webbage]

I'm kinda. Granted, there's some creative graffiti out there (I'm partial to Boris and Natasha on the commuter rail to Boston), but some of you guys are saying keep the graffiti in the Masonic Temple, but get rid of it in Waterplace? I'm not sure if you can have it both ways.

[inProv]

I'm kinda. Granted, there's some creative graffiti out there (I'm partial to Boris and Natasha on the commuter rail to Boston), but some of you guys are saying keep the graffiti in the Masonic Temple, but get rid of it in Waterplace? I'm not sure if you can have it both ways.

[glassandsteel]

Why on God's green earth would they want to "celebrate" that? While the bathroom is the best place to display such "artwork", I'm not sure why they'd want to inflict that sort of decor in the restaurant. Oy vey.

[quente]

Art doesn't have to be legal.

[Mij]

I'm kinda. Granted, there's some creative graffiti out there (I'm partial to Boris and Natasha on the commuter rail to Boston), but some of you guys are saying keep the graffiti in the Masonic Temple, but get rid of it in Water place? I'm not sure if you can have it both ways.

[dgreco]

Looking at the old image of the masonic temple, and what they did is amazing, it really adds a lot, it even makes the VMA look a lot better.

[webbage]

Actually, no. Stop. The point of keeping a wall here or a section there, is b/c some of the work done in the temple was such ART that even the "taggers" would not "buff" (please stay with me here, I'm not up on my spray paint Ebonics) over pieces in certain areas. Unless you had a chance to explore the temple in it's prior form you really cant understand how much of an open blank canvas this building once provide. While tagging in water place is both illegal, and ugly, the temple did serve as area (at least inside) were street kids and artist did and could express their artistic talents.

In a controlled environment, like the temple emulated, graffit can really be cool.

[Cotuit]

but some of you guys are saying keep the graffiti in the Masonic Temple, but get rid of it in Waterplace? I'm not sure if you can have it both ways.

[inProv]

Because up until now, this building's identity has been largely defined by graffiti.

Art doesn't have to be legal.

[Liamlunchtray]

There are some good pictures of the graffiti that used to be in the Temple here.

Some of it is just tags, but an awful lot of it looks like Art to me.

[quente]

Too often people try to rationalize graffiti by appealing to the "it's a form of self-expression" or "an example of urban american folk art" arguments. This misses the point. Any unsolicited work on someone else's property, whether it's a tag or a Picasso original, is still vandalism.

[dgreco]

There are some good pictures of the graffiti that used to be in the Temple here.

Some of it is just tags, but an awful lot of it looks like Art to me.

[Liamlunchtray]

Well said.

Liam - I'm curious - how would you feel if someone tagged your property?

[dgreco]

Depends on what it was. If it were just tags then I would be pissed. If someone did a legitimately good large piece on my garage, I would probably let it stay. I think that people lump taggers and actual grafiti artists together. A grafitti artist who takes themselves seriously would never "bomb" a private residence or a functioning independent business. I dont see anything wrong with what used to go on at the Temple. It was an enormous abandoned building that was never going to be used in its current state. It provided a safe place for people to paint and 90% of the pieces were hidden from public view. I dont see where that was a bad thing.

If the choice is between a blank wall under an overpass and a piece like this, I would choose the graffiti every time.

[quente]

Depends on what it was.

[glassandsteel]

You're right. But that's not the issue. There are some of us who believe that most grafitti is not art; it's simply vandalism. Most people wouldn't want to have their property tagged.

[Gusterfell]

Depends on what it was. If it were just tags then I would be pissed. If someone did a legitimately good large piece on my garage, I would probably let it stay. I think that people lump taggers and actual grafiti artists together. A grafitti artist who takes themselves seriously would never "bomb" a private residence or a functioning independent business. I dont see anything wrong with what used to go on at the Temple. It was an enormous abandoned building that was never going to be used in its current state. It provided a safe place for people to paint and 90% of the pieces were hidden from public view. I dont see where that was a bad thing.

If the choice is between a blank wall under an overpass and a piece like this, I would choose the graffiti every time.

[dgreco]

You'd be surprised. There is an unwritten rule of etiquette among graffitists that such "masterpiece" works should not be tagged. it does happen in cases where someone has a personal grudge against the artist, but that isn't as common as you might expect.

[runawayjim]

Well then, the Providence police must not know what those "No Parking Anytime" signs mean either. If they were to issue tickets for a couple of consecutive nights, I'd bet that you wouldn't be seeing those cars there.