Sunday, April 02, 2006

The city of Seattle has made an effort to make bus stops visually stimulating.



Various artists and community groups have attempted to create works of art on many of the bus shelters around the city.



My favorites--and frequently the most hilariously surreal--are the ones created by earnest groups of students.



A bus stop near where I work is one of these; children at a local school painted bright scenes from Greek mythology all over it.



Stylized images of Greek gods, goddesses, heroes, and villains entertain passengers as they wait for the bus.



But what's this? Someone has scrawled angry graffiti across the large back panel. What critique of the students' artwork do we find?



"Paint over this," the anonymous defacer demands. "Too violent for the children."



Gasp! They're right! I just can't understand why these children artists can't bring themselves to think of the children viewers. These children are corrupting the children! Won't any of the children please, for God's sake, think of the children? It's all so very upsetting. I think I'm going to have to go lie down for a bit.