What’s the story behind Woodstock’s murals?
This movement was founded by a longstanding group of artists that were painting in Woodtsock but who wanted to take their art from the studios into the streets. We wanted to inspire, we wanted to educate, and we wanted to tell stories that hadn’t been told. Today, we have more than 100 pieces here by local and international artists. In 2012, there was a demand from people to go and see the artwork and to know the stories behind them, and so I started doing the walking tours.
How did the local community respond to the street art?
We had to go to house owners to get permission to paint on their property, and at the start only half said yes. But as we started to paint, more people started to allow the art. It wasn’t easy for people to understand what we were doing. They thought art could only be found in the galleries; that it was only for the rich to own. We explained that this would be art and it would belong to the people. We wanted it to inspire them everyday. Now, the local people love it.
