Guerrilla art ethics.

September 19, 2013 8:52 AM

When (if ever) is it appropriate to take a piece of guerrilla art down and keep it?

So this morning this piece of art showed up on our office property, overlooking a busy morning street. It made our morning!

The artist, as she was installing it, said that it probably would not last long -- people tend to take them quickly. We're situated right near a college campus, and it's also supposed to rain today. We feel kind of like we should take it down and bring it inside... and actually own it! At least before some college frat house grabs it to hang mardi gras beads and a lampshade on.

But here's the thing. The intent of the artist is for it to be seen, right? So is it really better to NOT preserve it, and just leave it out there as long as possible, for more people to see? By taking it down to preserve it, would we end up being the assholes we want to save it from?

posted by kaseijin to Grab Bag (19 answers total)

Put it in the window at your office so people outside can see it. Problem solved.
posted by dirtylittlecity at 8:55 AM on September 19, 2013 [5 favorites]

Response by poster: We thought about that, sort of! We have a keycard-gated parking garage right next to it. Maybe we could put it inside the garage, on the ledge of one of the upper floors. Folks see it, it's protected from theft and the elements...
posted by kaseijin at 8:56 AM on September 19, 2013

I'd also add, if you do take it, and then you do see the artist again, you should get her deets and give her piece a label with artist credit/contact info on it.
posted by dirtylittlecity at 9:00 AM on September 19, 2013 [6 favorites]

Response by poster: She actually left a URL, printed on cloth, nailed to the stump on which she affixed her piece -- Giant Mutant Dolls. Apparently she puts these up here and there around Austin.

It's surely not for everybody... but it's kind of whimsical and weird and fun!
posted by kaseijin at 9:05 AM on September 19, 2013 [2 favorites]

Best answer: There's an email address on the contact page of that website. Email her and ask.
posted by inigo2 at 9:08 AM on September 19, 2013 [6 favorites]

Response by poster: Don't know why on earth I did not think of that. Perfect!
posted by kaseijin at 9:09 AM on September 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

And then send her a $100 gift card (or more) to a local art supply store!

I think it's very cool.
posted by amanda at 9:35 AM on September 19, 2013 [4 favorites]

This sounds like a question best asked the artist, considering that you know how to get in touch with her.
posted by Sara C. at 9:56 AM on September 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

Your own act of guerrilla performance art is taking it down. Since it's already on your property, no problem -- you're just cleaning up litter (even if you know who 'installed' it).
posted by Rash at 10:58 AM on September 19, 2013 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Yeah in this case since you can contact the artist, do it!

More generally my ethical answer is "never". If you absolutely knew it was going to be stolen or thrown into the garbage in one hour, that might be "maybe", if your intent was to put it somewhere else safer on public display. But you can never know that for sure. And the "this will be gone soon I might as well just take it" is of course the justification used by the other person who did take it.

I'm a huge fan of Invader. People regularly steal his mosaics off the walls where he's installed them; his installations in LA lasted less than a week. It's shitty.
posted by Nelson at 10:58 AM on September 19, 2013 [5 favorites]

Response by poster: Well... I have learned that the office HR department and ownership are *not* fans. So, they do plan on having the facilities manager remove it.

I will let that run its course. If somebody else takes it, they take it. If our facilities manager pulls it down, I'll let him know that there is a contingent of us here that wish to save it...so don't just trash it.
posted by kaseijin at 11:03 AM on September 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

More generally my ethical answer is "never".

That's ridiculous. Placing undesired and unasked for objects on private property is vandalism. There is no problem with you or the facility manager removing the art either to send to the trash or to keep for display in another area. You cannot "steal" something that was abandoned on private/public property by the object's creator. Any standard to the contrary suggests I can ethically litter on your house's front lawn. Whatever you do here, there's no reason to feel bad; the artist needs to learn to respect property laws.
posted by saeculorum at 12:26 PM on September 19, 2013 [3 favorites]

If the facilities manager is going to take it down, take it down yourself and preserve it.
posted by Jairus at 1:54 PM on September 19, 2013 [5 favorites]

As an occasional street artist, I say take it.
posted by Tom-B at 2:31 PM on September 19, 2013

I think having "guerrilla art" adopted by someone who actually likes it is the best thing that an artist who places an unsolicited piece of work on someone else's property can realistically hope for. You like it, that's great! Someone else would find that piece visually very offensive and have popped it directly in the trash.
posted by fingersandtoes at 2:36 PM on September 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

I think you should save it, since they're going to remove it anyway. I wouldn't do it after the fact, or you may end up very disappointed!
posted by limeonaire at 8:06 PM on September 19, 2013

There's a local graffiti sticker artist whom I'm quite taken with (Turnip, of the Edible Root Crew). Over the years, I've nabbed a couple of ERC stickers off lampposts and similar surfaces. My personal guideline is that if it's securely affixed, I won't scrape or pry it off. If it seems like it's ready to come down, whether due to weathering or inadequate glue in the first place, I feel okay about taking it.

Given your situation, where you have information that it will soon be taken down by people who don't like it and have no intention of preserving it, I think you'd be pretty ethically clean if you take it yourself. Especially if you then put it up (in a window, or wherever) where it can be seen.

Upon refresh: If you let the facilities people take it down, it will almost certainly get trashed. Color me cynical. If it were me, I might be chatting up a few close work friends to mobilize a let's-save-the-art after work project. Or I might just nab it myself.
posted by Lexica at 8:41 PM on September 19, 2013

I'd save it.

But your coworkers might want to...
Wish it into the cornfield, son!
posted by artdrectr at 1:31 AM on September 20, 2013 [2 favorites]

It is always acceptable to take and keep such guerrilla art. Once the artist has abandoned it they no longer have any rights and do not need to be consulted.
posted by Meatbomb at 2:21 AM on September 20, 2013 [1 favorite]