My first time in Miami, I had heard about this magical, artsy neighborhood, replete with graffiti and street art, and I had to go. I spent a day walking between The Museum of Graffiti and the Art of Hip Hop in Wynwood. I was absolutely blown away by the display of art there; on walls, on the ground, stickers. It had a great vibe to it that I really enjoyed. I also stopped into an art gallery and a canvas was offered to me for “only” two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, but that is another story for another day.

So, on my second visit, I got at the fine people of the Wynwood Art Walk and got one of their tours via golf cart. Definitely worth the $45. In an hour’s time, even through some unseasonably cold rain, we ranged all over the neighborhood. A much better value that a quarter of a million dollar art piece.

First, my perception of the neighborhood itself.

I’ve been around a number of “artsy” neighborhoods in my travels, but none of them have the dedication to public art display that Wynwood does. The threat of gentrification is around the neighborhood, as our guide told us that she was able to get a loft for $600 in the early 2000s, and now they’re asking for $10K. The number of small businesses was notable, and the variety of stuff available was really eye-opening. I’m told that this neighborhood is special in that graffiti and art making isn’t prohibited; that you can be outside painting and the cops just roll by. Only on walls owned by businesses with explicit signage is stuff illegal. But, because of its history and status of a former warehouse district with a lot of abandoned business and bare walls, an opportunity arose, and I think the city did a great job of promoting the scene by making it a self-policing area where creatives can shine.

Can you imagine a blighted urban area, and a city says, hey. these buildings are empty and the walls are bare, we have a ton of creative people here, why don’t you put stuff up? And it’s not just graffiti or murals; simple usages of color and patterns make things look special and new and interesting. And not only involving local artists, but making the city a destination for artists worldwide is no small feat. Now you’re internationally known; what’s bad about that?

I wonder why that doesn’t work in other cities.

Secondly, the breadth of what I saw.

Our guide was a muralist, who was nonetheless knowledgable about the graffiti side of things. What struck me was that, for every burner and mural, there were VERY few throw ups and crossing out. Wall gems were generally left alone, which I’d never seen before. Longevity was rare, but did exist, and the normal turnover of work, painted over by others, did not seem to be done in an adversarial way. Walls were abundant, and the dope stuff wasn’t ruined by a quick tag or monochromatic block of letters.

It wasn’t just spray paint, either. It was acrylic. It was big and wide. On the side of multi-story buildings. It was thematic and individual. It was collaborations and stuff commenting loved ones. It was random and colorful and unapologetic. It was inside jokes and crew names and alternate identities by people aged 16-50. It was local and international, worth the pilgrimage and the risk for a tropical storm to interrupt sunny skies and 75 degrees.

I don’t know the politics, but I do know that, in other graffiti/street art communities I’ve been in, there is room for respect. The notion of meritocracy, of working your way up, of learning from the elders, and the recognition of effort and talent – a “real recognize real” – exists. It’s not just about getting your name up. It’s about getting your name up in such a way that may last more than a few days.

I am big on loosening restrictions on making things, on making time and energy and learning to get those things out of your head that you can share with world, and it seems that, in this Miami neighborhood, they have gotten it mostly right.