Recap: Meeting of Styles West Coast

The West Coast held this year’s Meeting Of Styles, one of the world's largest global graffiti events on September 18^th through the 20^th. It was hosted by Mission Art 415 in the Mission District, a neighborhood in San Francisco. The heat was intense, especially for the Bay Area, but that didn’t stop the artists and the huge all-ages crowd who gathered together to celebrate a shared love of painting.

Several blocks and alleys were closed off to feature artists who come from, and paint, all over the world. Entertainment was provided with the intentions of keeping the old school hip hop culture alive. B-boys/girls, MC’s, and DJ’s spinning on the one’s and two’s kept the crowds going. Vendors and art collectors spread throughout each alley. There were some memorable guests as well; Mark Bode, Nate 1, and Bay Area legend, Crayone, to name a few. Long time graffiti photographers, James Prigoff and Martha Cooper were also there as they continued to expand their documentations with their vision.

Artists united to decorate several alleys which were mainly behind residential homes and businesses. Some of the muralists and graffiti crews that spread their love throughout these walls were: CBS, EBH, EMT, LORDS, UTI, WAI, WOD, and the all-female crew, Few & Far. This is only a small sample of the numerous amounts of crews and artists who were present.

The Bay Area recently lost one of their most active graffiti artists, Nicolas Barclay, also known as “ANEMAL” in the graffiti community. So much love and respect was shown all over the alleys and streets of San Francisco alone, not to mention the surrounding cities. An overwhelming amount of tribute murals were painted in his memory. His passion for graffiti will always live on, as he inspired so many people to paint. May he rest in peace.

The Meeting Of Styles does not end here! It is an event that spreads globally throughout major cities in countries such as: Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, Germany, Belgium, Poland, and Denmark.