Cleaning Our World through Reverse Graffiti

Over the last decade artists have begun to experiment with reverse pollution techniques, such as reverse graffi ti, which focuses on cleaning environmental surfaces. Having recently been introduced to the works of Moose,1 the artist known for inventing the reverse graffi ti technique, we decided to design a curriculum to increase student awareness of ecological issues. Hoping to inspire students to become agents of change through art, the activity encourages students to investigate the adverse eff ects of pollution, refl ect upon how their actions impact the Earth, and engage in ecologically friendly artmaking practices. Th is article examines ecological art and reverse pollution, and presents a lesson idea that expands upon the traditional reductive art process by using reverse graffi ti to “clean” dirty surfaces such as cars, sidewalks, windows, or walls, transforming them into public pieces of ecological art.