Today we’d like to introduce you to Alan Ket.
Alan, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started out as a graffiti writer in Brooklyn, New York in the 1980’s. Like other young boys at the time, I felt the allure of the graffiti world because of its vibrancy, color, beauty and adventure. I painted trains and early on, I started to document the artwork of my peers – other teenagers with photography. I was fortunate enough to meet the photographer, Henry Chalfant, while I was in high school and he became a defacto role model for myself and my friends – encouraging us to document our own art and the art movement. As I entered into adulthood and finished college, I entered the world of publishing and over the years, I wrote many books on graffiti art, street art, and tattoo art. My love for the art forms has led me to organize exhibitions, become an activist, and work with hundreds of artists across the globe. My documentation efforts helped teach me about the history of the art movement and my interest led me to where I am today – an artist passionate enough about his art community to spearhead the opening of a museum.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It is all a learning process. From staffing, funding, marketing, and operations – all of it is new and challenging when you are a start-up.
Please tell us about your art.
The Museum of Graffiti tracks the history of graffiti, from its genesis in 1970’s New York to its ascendance as a respected global art form. We present exhibitions from artists of this art movement and serve as an educational platform for visitors in Miami who are interested in learning more about this art form. We are the only museum of this kind in the United States.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We have just launched a new exhibition – Wet Paint, which features more than 70 artists from around the world. Artists like Mike Giant, Tati Suarez, Abstrk, Persue, Kwest, Ewok, Stash, Slick, Cey Adams, and many others have contributed wonderful original works for the exhibition. In addition, we have a black light experience by Persue featuring the world of Bunny Kitty – a character he developed that is fun for people of all ages. We are looking forward to the upcoming exhibitions by world class artists but can’t reveal their names yet.
Pricing:
- ticket prices are $16 + tax/ fees for adults
- children 13 and under are free
Contact Info:
- Address: 299 NW 25 street
Miami, FL 33127 - Website: https://museumofgraffiti.com
- Phone: (786) 580-4678
- Email: hey@museumofgraffiti.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/museumofgraffiti/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/museumofgraffiti
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/museumofgraff
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/museum-of-graffiti-miami
Image Credit:
Racket
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