The transitory nature of street art

One of our city's most vibrant and visible pieces of street art (and the masthead for this blog) has officially been slated for demolition. The mural on the side of Tranquil Tattoos (1900 E. Washington Ave., on the corner with First St.) will turn to dust once the "Emerson East" project goes in. The project, to include housing, retail, and underground parking space, was just approved by the city's Plan Commission.

I know perfectly well that art, like most things, is transitory in nature. We can't expect to hold onto it forever. Good Buddhist monks would shake their heads at us to think otherwise. But it's still sad to see one of the few great examples of mural work in Madison relegated to the rubble heap.

We have so few places open to letting artists do their work on their walls, so the loss of even one is felt all the more acutely.

And for that, I shake my head.