Banksy, Mr. Brainwash, Shephard Fairey: step aside, because there’s a new set of artists on the streets. And no, it’s not a new crop of young vandals, or even political activists (see Ferguson Street Artist Sends Work to Tonight’s Wynwood Protest).
LATA 65 is a new “Urban Workshop for Seniors,” a non-profit organization based in Lisbon that teaches street art workshops exclusively to the elderly.
Founder Lara Pebble Rodrigues founded LATA 65 with the intention of bridging generational gaps, democratizing street art, and breaking stereotypes (see Art Miami New York Mixes Blue Chip Masters with Street Art).
But the workshops have another side effect: beautifying neighborhoods. Participants learn about the history of street art, then create their own stencils and spray paint them onto free public spaces, often in run-down areas, creating collaborative murals (see Take a Look at Jeffrey Deitch’s New Coney Island Street Art Project).
“Now I look at the walls with different eyes,” one student told the Telegraph. “I know what’s in front of me on the street.”