Graffiti Abcd

[Jesper Sahu]

TheColumbia City Revitalization Committee, a newly formed association of residents and businesses, responded by organizing an International Pancake Breakfast and Town Meeting at the Tropicana, a Filipino restaurant and bakery. The free food lured a diverse crowd of about 150 people who filled every chair and all of the aisle space. After breakfast, everyone was asked to think of a project that could improve Columbia City. If it was an idea that they felt passionately about, they were invited to summarize the project in a few words on a large sheet of paper and to take a couple of minutes to describe their idea to the entire assembly. Once everyone had an opportunity to share their ideas, the papers summarizing all of the proposed projects were posted in the front of the room, with similar ideas grouped together. Each cluster of ideas was then assigned to a store, church or other meeting space in the neighborhood.

At that point, all Town Meeting participants voted with their feet by joining a discussion of whatever idea most appealed to them. The project originator was responsible for leading the discussion. Participants were encouraged to feel free to leave one discussion and join another until they found a project and a group that resonated with them. By the end of the morning, several projects had been launched. One group organized regular cleanups of the business district; another painted a beautiful mural on a graffiti-covered wall; and yet another converted a closed church to become a multi-cultural performing arts center.

Subsequent town meetings celebrated these accomplishments and resulted in additional projects. Volunteers established a farmers market in the parking lot of the abandoned supermarket. A vacant store became a cooperative gallery for neighborhood artists. Another became a non-profit business where young people were trained to repair used bicycles donated by community members for use by the youth, foster children, and homeless families. Friday night Beatwalks brought people from throughout the city to enjoy music in newly established restaurants.

El jurado de los XII Premios Nacionales de Edicin Universitaria ha resaltado "el diseo moderno y atrevido de la publicacin, muy adecuado al contenido de la obra, de emtica novedosa y gran solidez documental".

La Universidad Politcnica de Valencia ha sido galardonada por la Unin de Editoriales Universitarias Espaolas (UNE) con el Premio a la Obra Mejor Editada de 2009 por "Pioneros del graffiti en Espaa", de Gabriela Berti.

La obra realiza un exhaustivo recorrido por los orgenes del graffiti en Espaa, desde el "tringulo de oro" que conforman Madrid, Alicante y Barcelona, hasta las caractersticas especficas del movimiento en ciudades como Valencia, Sevilla, Zaragoza, Palma, Lrida y Gerona. Considerado el primer libro de la historia del graffiti en Espaa es fruto de varios aos de investigacin, con ms de un centenar de entrevistas a escritores activos en los 80, expertos en el tema, gestores culturales y otros personajes relevantes. Adems, incluye un gran material grfico, con alrededor de 500 imgenes entre las que se pueden localizar obras de Henry Chalfant o V. Bod.

El jurado de los premios lo componan Rogelio Blanco (director general del Libro, Archivos y Bibliotecas), Magdalena Vinent (directora general de CEDRO), Francisco Moreno (director acadmico del Instituto Cervantes), Antonio Mara vila (director ejecutivo de la Federacin del Gremio de Editores de Espaa), Blanca Berasategui (directora de El Cultural, El Mundo), Laura Revuelta (redactora jefe del ABCD las Artes y las Letras, ABC), y Winston Manrique (responsable de libros de Babelia, El Pas).

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