We would like to petition the Cambridge City Council to make the two walls along the newly built path in Cambridge connecting to the Watertown Greenway legal for street art. The walls are located under the bridge just after the intersection of Huron ave. and Aberdeen ave.

We believe that by making the walls legal for public art and public use, it will also be possible to enact reasonable rules about what is painted and how the space is maintained and cared for, thereby limiting inappropriate material. Such an opportunity may also reduce the amount of graffiti in the rest of the neighborhood, as artists would have a legal space to paint. There is already graffiti on these walls, so it is clear they are appealing to local artists. The people who already paint here and on illegal spots would have a place to paint that doesn’t hurt anyone or any local businesses. Graffiti can be used for social change, and opening this spot ot artists would give them a great opportunity to express their opinions.

In addition to the above, bringing art to a heavily used path would make the path locally vibrant because there will, at times, be artists working there as well as the beautiful works they create. Graffiti Alley in Central Square could be used as a model for this in terms of rules and content. For example, ads would be prohibited, as well as obscene or inappropriate words or image. There is precedent for such rules in other localities nearby (e.g., Clemenzi Industrial Park in Beverly, MA), and if people didn’t follow the rules the wall could possibly be shut down for art. Potentially these walls could become very sought after by artists, tourists, and citizens.