Step Outside With Me

Just a few weeks ago, one of VCU’s finest art students was sentenced to 11 months in jail for a little art project he had going on outside of school. Apparently, Micheal Broth was doing a wee bit of extracurricular activities – and not for resume building.

VCU doesn’t offer a graffiti major or course, so the fellow had to take it on his own initiative, which is honorable in a sense. I bet his professors are proud.

But the state thinks differently. The state just doesn’t understand art. No one does.

Acting in the true artist manner, Broth neglected to show up for his court date due to “motor vehicle troubles.” The judge felt it was a decent enough excuse and questioned his father, who was present in his stead. The original felony charges were reduced to misdemeanors, and VCU’s latest prodigy ended up with less than a year in the slammer. Not too shabby for a graffiti trail that spans nearly the entire East Coast, from Washington D.C. to Miami, Florida.

But this kid had something here. Let’s look at some of his works and you’ll understand. See, this Michelangelo didn’t do illegible scribbles like some of those “gangbangers” who can’t hold a spray paint can straight. Nope. Broth is an “arteest.” He produced some of the finest graffiti ever to be seen in the River City.

Such creativity. Such style. Such originality. Magnifique! Bravo! Where can we see such captivating works?

Currently, they are on display at various venues around town. They can be seen on buildings in the Cary Court Shopping Center and at 1709 E. Clay St. and 8 Canal St. You can also catch decal versions of the artist’s tag right here on campus. Check out the stairwell leading to the large lecture halls in Hibbs.

On a light on the way up, there is an interesting sticker that depicts a punk-rock looking guy with the artist’s signature words below it:

“Refuse to Be Smart.”

It is with these four words that I have such an interest. I can’t quite figure out what they mean, yet they are so powerful. They just make one think. They must be saying something really wise. They can only come from an artist like Michael Broth. They can only come from someone who was a VCU student, of course.

Perhaps they were an omen to Broth’s very own destiny. Perhaps the artist was reflecting his innermost fears when he wrote these prophetic lines. See, Broth was arrested after the authorities found a paint can lid beside some of his work. The cop who made the discovery took the lid to a nearby Home Depot, and wouldn’t you know it, he found a match.

A Home Depot clerk then worked overtime, going through more than 2,000 sales receipts to find the one that held the paint can Broth purchased. The police finally had their man.

All the cops had to do next was file into Broth’s Fan pad, where they actually found a list of all the locations where he had left his mark – all his art venues, you could say, or all his galleries. Michael, you just can’t leave that kind of incriminating evidence around, my man.

Sometimes, you just can’t “refuse to be smart.”