The past month has proven monumental for the growth of specific artists in Western Ma. The late October Graffiti Jam hosted in Springfield, Massachusetts has sparked a big bang of concepts and creativity for artists looking to build upon their outreach. After the success of the Jam, some of the local talent gathered for a Writer’s Bench to discuss the future of Springfield’s underground scenes and how the community can benefit from its promotion and expansion. The conclusion: an All Elements Get Down.
The writer's bench is an indispensable event in old-school hip-hop graffiti culture. It's a place where graffiti writers can safely meet and share art pieces and sign each other's art books in a comfortable environment. During this writer's bench, the artists present had the consentient question: can a writer's bench survive in Springfield? Graffiti art as a whole is typically a shunned sector of hip hop culture, as far as the general public is concerned. Today, it is nearly nonexistent in the industry.
Sketching in black books with break dancers on the TV and music in the air, the writers at the bench sat thinking of a way to get the Writer's Bench public. Surely the city of Springfield wouldn't condone a meeting of vandals, even less for it to be advertised. But graffiti wasn't the only element of hip hop present at the Bench, that day. Many of the participants were rappers and break dancers, themselves. Maybe a writer's bench will not go well with the public, but what about a hip hop jamboree equipped with DJs, dancers, and rappers, and a set designed by graffiti artists? Almost like a hip hop Soul Train, the ideas of podcasts, TV shows, and live events were proposed. Perhaps Keep Springfield Beautiful would support graffiti artists creating a venue for writers to do their art in an effort to combat vandalism. The potential of these ideas may be monumental to the ongoing renaissance in Springfield's downtown area. Not to mention the opportunities it will allow the youth.
The meeting that day was filled with a creative energy that was too significant to ignore. But the artists want to stay anonymous for the time being, and the project on a slow leak. Rest assured these aren't merely pipe dreams. Locations are being scouted and talents are being called. But that is all that has been made public of the event and the group behind its formation. You’ll have to stay connected with TAC News for the next exclusive update on this historic event coming out of Springfield's underground.