Lisbon Offers Graffiti Classes for the Elderly: Grannies Learn About Street Art History and How to Tag Walls

description

LATA 65, an intergenerational graffiti program, offers an example of how an unconventional art form can be as effective in bridging generational gaps as more formal art forms. LATA 65 — LATA meaning “can” and 65 being the age requirements for participants — is a workshop model for older people interested in decorating their neighborhoods with graffiti.

Started in 2012 by an architect and designer in Lisbon, Portugal, Laura Seixo Rodrigues, the program engages well-known young street artists to help teach older adults to decorate street walls or work on group murals. Using a community center for their base, participants spend several days learning about the history of street art, how to create and use stencils, and how to develop their own tags. They are then provided with the equipment they need to create graffiti on empty walls, guided and encouraged by the street artists, the program coordinators, and neighbors. The program has expanded across Portugal and has been adopted in Scotland as part of the well-known Aberdeen Street Festival.

Access resource

subject term

Creative Aging > Intergenerational Programming

contributor

Helen Thompson

resource type

Articles and Blog Posts

year

2015

keywords

Graffiti, Intergenerational, street arts