INDIANAPOLIS, IN.- This fall, step onto the streets of New York City and immerse yourself into the world of graffiti art with City as Canvas: New York City Graffiti from the 70s & 80s in the Indianapolis Museum of Art Galleries at Newfields from Oct. 7, 2017 through January 28, 2018.

Traveling to the IMA from the Museum of the City of New York, City as Canvas features more than 100 works from the renowned Martin Wong Collection, and chronicles the origins of graffiti and its evolution from a creative outlet—viewed by many at the time as a public nuisance—to an accepted form of art. With intricate drawings, colorful works on canvas and photographs of graffiti writing that has long since been erased, this exhibition includes a variety of seminal works by pioneering graffiti artists such as Keith Haring, Lee Quiñones, Lady Pink and Futura 2000.

In spite of the movement’s beginnings on the streets and subways of New York—as well as the city’s attempts to eradicate it—graffiti art quickly proliferated, forever impacting music, fashion and visual culture. In the decades that followed, graffiti became heralded as an important new form of artistic expression and an international phenomenon.

This exhibition also highlights local Indiana artists such as FAB Crew, Malcolm Mobutu Smith, Samuel E. Vazquez, Nicholas Smith and Nathan Storm. Together, these individuals represent a community of Indiana artists who carry on the legacy of their New York City counterparts.

Discover the artists’ collective spirit through photos, sketchbooks, hands-on activities and more in this one-of-a-kind exhibition in the IMA Galleries.