I am used to seeing street art everywhere. Living in Berlin, graffiti is commonplace, and even though it’s not technically allowed, it’s everywhere, and isn’t necessarily removed right away, as is the case in places like San Francisco.
Visiting Knoxville, we didn’t see graffiti on random buildings, however, there are select places where it occurs. Don’t quote me on this, but what I have been led to believe is that there are certain streets or areas where graffiti is a free-for-all type scenario. This allows artists to be creative in public, but doesn’t tarnish the facade of random buildings.
One such example of this is Wall Street, an alley of graffiti in Knoxville. The walls are covered in various paintings and sayings, and it is apparently repainted every so often to make room for new art. During our time there, we took a quick stroll down this little hidden road. In some ways, it’s an alley. In others, it’s so much more.