Theatre department welcomes graffiti

Salt Lake City artist Brody Froelich gets paid to spraypaint, but unlike most of his projects, his latest gig brings his graffiti to the indoor walls of a state institution.

"The goal is to make the (Performing Arts Building) look completely different from what it did -- in other words, not the hole that it was before," said actor training program junior Eb Madson, special events chair to the theater department's Student Advisory Committee.

Last summer the previous artwork that graced the PAB hallway -- affectionately described by Madson as "an abstract bunch of colors" -- was covered with white paint, setting up what will become a giant blank canvas for Froelich to begin tagging this week.

"So many people complained about the previous mural," Madson said.

"We wanted something that would look more professional, that would better represent the department," he said.

After the Student Advisory Committee reviewed various art forms from several artists considered to create a visual outside the Studio 115 doors, Froelich was selected as the artist who could best illustrate what the department's "edgy" lab theater stands for, Madson said. His art "would work very well for what Studio 115 does -- kind of the more in-your-face type of theater," Madson added.

Although most of the communication between the department and Froelich has occurred directly through Head of Marketing and Advertising Chair Tillie Wilber, members of the committee had an active role in selecting the artist.

"(The Student Advisory Committee) picked out about five to 10 pictures from my portfolio, pointed out the things that they liked out of those, and then had me do a couple of designs before the final approval," Froelich said.

Froelich's style of graffiti was Madson's favorite pick of the committee's selections, and the street art style garnered positive feedback for the department during Plazafest when a tagging contest was set up to stir interest in U theater.

"It drew people in; we had a lot of people ask about the theater department," Madson said.

Likewise, students in the advisory committee were drawn to Froelich's urban art style and said they hope his new piece in PAB will have the same effect for patrons of the building's resident theater, Studio 115.

Once completed, the new mural will cover the wall to the north side of the studio doors and will read "Studio 115" amongst a design with colors chosen by committee members.

"It'll kind of look like it's popping out of the wall," Froelich said.

Since Froelich returned to art three years ago, the PAB tag marks his first request for commissioned work to be completed indoors in an educational setting. His previous mural experience exists on the outside of businesses and houses.

Froelich, who began spraypainting when he lived in Oakland, Calif., has a current graffiti art piece that lives on a massive wall of a San Francisco business. This piece -- equally impressive in skill as it is in size -- is located on Folsom Street, where it is devoured by the eyes of countless San Francisco residents and tourists alike.

"In San Francisco, business owners are required to remove all graffiti on their walls, so it kind of has encouraged muralists to get jobs out there," Froelich said.

Adopting an "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" school of thought, business owners are opting to rid their walls of uninvited graffiti tags by hiring muralists who specialize in the art form they can't keep off their property.

"A lot of times it's a graffiti mural," Froelich said.

"Businesses will pay a muralist to paint an entire huge wall, and then usually graffiti artists don't tag it up after that," he said. "I've had my mural running for about a year, and it's still untouched -- and it's in downtown San Francisco."

Though he hasn't received training in the visual arts, Froelich has an educational background in another art form. Currently on a two-year hiatus from school, Froelich previously attended the U for three years as a film major.

With one year of school between Froelich and graduation, his decision to step off of the four-year plan was influenced by something quite simple.

"I started making money selling paintings," he said. "It's pretty easy to just hang out and paint. You get a lot of freedom."

Taking full advantage of his early success, Froelich is routinely securing numerous painting gigs throughout Utah.

This Friday during Gallery Stroll, Froelich will have an art show hosted by Mechanized, a downtown record store located at 511 W. 200 South.

Showcasing up to 20 of Froelich's paintings, the display will feature a unique work of art that he refers to as the "transmogrifier" -- something that is changing into something else, he said.

This 3-feet-by-5-feet piece offers not just visual pleasure, but stimulates the auditory senses and functions as an interactive and aesthetically pleasing jukebox.

"It generates its own wireless signal, and it has speakers and a subwoofer built in," Froelich said. "It also has lights that light the painting, You link up to the transmogrifier through iTunes and send it music right off your computer."

Froelich's show will begin at 6 p.m., and his work will remain on display for one month.

A seasoned live graffiti artist, Froelich can often be found creating on-the-spot spray paintings at Pioneer Park.

This month he will be the featured artist at the Park Silly Market held on Sept. 30.

For the month of October, Froelich already has set in motion plans for another art show, which will take place on the 19th at a new gallery located at 380 W. 200 South with the quirky name 3AyeDee Gallery.

If going to the theater, attending city-wide art events, strolling through the park, going to outdoor markets or looking at gallery displays still isn't your preferred method of soaking in the art that is "brodyism" -- a word Froelich has taken on as his pseudonym -- you can find more art at www.brodyism.com.

a.gregory@chronicle.utah.edu