On the wall of the popular Athens graffiti painting spot called The Mill, a tag reads “Goon.” Variations of the piece can be found throughout The Mill and other parts of Athens. Photo by Mackenzie Caudill
By MACKENZIE CAUDILL – Staff Writer
Freshman Mackenzie Caudill shares her love and knowledge of the graffiti culture in Athens.
Born in the ’70s, graffiti has grown to be one of the most popular forms of art and street expression in pop culture today. Despite its negative perception, graffiti has its own rich culture and history complete with passionate, talented artists.
Located on the far West Side, The Mill, an abandoned textile factory, is arguably the most popular spot for graffiti in Athens. As I ventured down, I was more than ready to see the art.
The rocks on the railroad tracks by The Mill made it hard to walk and I almost died trying to get down a slope, but it all ended up being worth it when my brother and I finally arrived.
My initial reaction was the to nerve-wracking environment. It was cold, dark and wet inside the first building. It was also kind of terrifying. Then I started noticing the tags, which are the graffiti artists’ signatures. Artists create a unique drawing or word to paint over and over again.
Walking around, I could see where the same person had done multiple larger, more extravagant pieces. I could pick out the contrasting styles of different people whose tags covered the same wall.
The artists all have some crazy amazing talent, but my favorite tagger by far is this kid that goes and writes the word “Goon” everywhere.
The graffiti culture here is communal. A small amount of taggers contribute with a lot of work, piling it onto the minimal wall space that exists at The Mill.
Looking at the paint-littered walls and simultaneously totally ruining my shoes, I couldn’t help but be amazed, thinking that someone made this. It gave me a lot of respect for the graffiti artists in this town.
Before I knew about spots like these, I had a closed minded view of what Athens art could be. Seeing The Mill really sold Athens graffiti to me and opened a door to the diversity of art here. I became irretrievably fascinated by the different culture and the artists. I am in no way an artist, but being exposed to this much talent makes me wish I could be.
