Sights Sometimes Seen: Political Graffiti & Agitprop

As I sit down to chat with Mary Lou Green about Brightside St. Louis, I can tell that the first few installments of this series have left her with some questions. At the start of our interview, she asks the one question that will somehow color the remainder of our morning together. It’s in relation to the artform, the statement, the culture of graffiti.

“You love this stuff, don’t you?”

Interesting question, for sure. My response attempts to be both nuanced and respectful of her position on the topic of graffiti. For her, eradication of public graffiti is a huge part of Brightside’s efforts. It’s not the totality of Brightside, of course, but it is a big part of each day’s work, her crew of five criss-crossing the City in a never-ending quest to cover-up or spray-off aerosol paint, stickers, wheatpaste-backed flyers. You can’t exactly say, “Yes, I love this stuff,” even if you do.