This story is part of KSDK's "Our Beautiful City" series. If you have a suggestion on where we should go next, send an email to photos@ksdk.com, or post it to our Facebook wall. NOTE: The above video was originally published in 2014. Enjoy!
ST. LOUIS - All forms of art, including graffiti, are in the eyes of the beholder. But over time, what was once considered vandalism is gaining mainstream acceptance.
For the past several years, hundreds of graffiti artist from all over the country come to St. Louis over the Labor Day weekend because they have permission to legally paint 1.9 miles of wall along the riverfront south of the Gateway Arch.
The Labor Day weekend event is called “Paint Louis” and started in 1995. In 1998 Paint Louis gained notoriety when a DVD documentary was created and the event became sponsored, according to the Paint St. Louis website. That year, the Guinness Book of World Records name the Paint Louis wall the longest graffiti mural in the world.
Our Beautiful City: Paint Louis Graffiti Wall
The event ran until 2001 when artists from around the country showed up to the event and “bombed the city.”
In 2013, with support from the city of St. Louis, a few original committee members and artists came together to repaint the wall and restart the event. The event hosted 300 artists and approximately 1,000 people came out to look at the art.
According to the Paint Louis website, the 2016 event is being held once again on Labor Day weekend, September 2 – 4.
NOTE: NewsChannel 5 does not condone illegal graffiti, or any acts of vandalism.
