Please note: this exhibit will be free, open to the public and on display until September 5. We are open Tues-Sat, 10am-5pm. We will follow Snohomish County Health Guidelines. This will involve social distancing, wearing masks, and limiting the number of visitors to the Gallery among other safety measures. We will post new guidelines as we receive them.
The exhibit will be the first of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. American Graffiti: From the Streets to the Canvas features a one of a kind, comprehensive exposition of the genre. The exhibit will allow the community a rare public viewing of 85 spectacular Graffiti Art originals held in a private collection. These works come from artists from all over the country, including New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, Boston, Seattle, and Phoenix. The exhibit will feature the Earliest Writers (artists) of the 1970's, Freight Train Writers, Street Writers and works from the Freedom Tunnel.
The collection was created from 2003 through 2012 as the Collector invited 'writers' to his home to replicate their original art from walls, tunnels, and box cars onto 6' x 10' canvases and skateboard decks. In this way, he preserved designs and artwork that most likely would get buffed from existence in their original locations. An example is graffiti from the Freedom Tunnel in New York, which is part of the representations that will be exhibited at Schack. The Collector decided that this art form should be documented in its original "street size" on canvases for future generations to study. The most important part of the Collection is the dedication of the 'writers' themselves. They travel hundreds of miles, risking going to jail, just to express themselves and have their work be seen. Many of these 'writers' have created a tremendous body of work that, without the support of the Collector, would otherwise be lost.
The exhibit is organized in four categories: The Earliest American Writers of the 1970s; Freedom Tunnel works; Freight Car Collection and Street Artists on 60 canvases and 25 skate decks. Both the Main Gallery and Mezzanine Gallery will be used to display the large-scale canvases, a selection of smaller canvases, and skateboard decks providing a never before seen look at the world of Graffiti art.
