A Look Into Aerosol Academy

We had our Aerosol Academy event last week at the Buchanan Centre. We heard from both Roots4Change and AJA Louden about human rights issues affecting young people in Edmonton and the long history of cave art, graffiti, and street art. As well as how it’s connected to the history of activism and protest. We also had the opportunity to create our own change-inspired art using materials traditionally used for graffiti and street art. 

Here are some reflections from Aerosol Academy participants: 

“[My brother] said he had fun and that he has a different perspective on graffiti and street art in general”

“Thank you for inviting us it was so much fun” 

“The Aerosol Academy workshop with AJA was a really incredible experience! I learnt so much about the history of graffiti, how to stylize your message out with meaning, emotion, and character, and got to create something of my own and exercise some creative juices. It was also lovely to see so many youth show up and work towards shared goals. It is a beautiful experience to see the community you are fighting for show up, come together, and build together. Also seeing the faces behind your community, having a meal together, and getting to know each other is a reminder of the importance of the relational building that threads organizing spaces. This event was a stream of light that shone through a battered door of many structures of hardship - it gave me more energy to hope and work towards more livable and abundant futures for youth."

“I had a really fruitful and fun experience in AJA’s Aerosol Academy. We journeyed through the projects and the work that led to the workshop we attended. We learned about the needs of youth in Edmonton that were addressed and AJA briefed us with the history of street art and graffiti. We also got to experience what it would be like working on a large mural by doing some exercises that reflected those movements as well as how to break down letters to give them different styles and ‘flavours’ to convey different messages.”

Check out some of the photos and messages we captured below:

To learn more about Roots4Change, check out their instagram page here. You can also check out AJA Louden’s work on his website here.