Street art is fun. And it's a novel way of talking about human rights in Iran.

#NotACrime hopes that a mix of old-school street art and social media pushes this cause into the public imagination.

The awful scenes we’re seeing in American cities right now is a reminder of how racism blights the country. A new chapter of the Education Is Not A Crime campaign – which promotes education equity through public art and social action
‘If truthfulness is the foundation of all human virtues, what does it look like to apply that to eliminating racial prejudice?’ . . Carol Mansour was born in 1957 in Indianapolis, IN, in a religious Christian household and had little
‘In the Bible we’re told to watch and pray, that Christ will come again like a thief in the night.’ . . Eric Dozier was born in Bakewell, TN, during the final stages of the Civil Rights Movement in 1969, and grew up as the son
‘We got a grant from the Mayor’s Stop the Violence fund to run race unity discussions.’ . . Jan Mauras was born in Tulsa, OK, in 1943 and grew up in a community with few people of color. Her world changed when she became a Baha

But first! We don’t want anyone to think that we’re doing anything illegal or asking you to break the law. We’ve had a few questions on this – you know who you are! – and it’s important to be clear. Street art can be entirely legitimate if you do it right.

The most important tip is to ask for permission to do your art.

Let’s say you’ve found a beautiful wall or boarding in your neighbourhood. Terrific! But don’t do anything until you’ve found the owner of that wall, explained the #NotACrime campaign, shown your designs, and received permission to do your work. Finding the owner isn’t difficult; if the building has a store, for example, you can ask the store manager. Many city governments have online ownership directories. And try to work in parts of town that are already known for street art.

You may also need a permit from local authorities. #NotACrime can help you with this – email us here – but ultimately knowing what is and isn’t allowed in your city is your responsibility. You're also responsible for designing art that is appropriate!

Ok – now that we’ve covered the essentials – let’s get down to the brass tacks. #NotACrime is encouraging you to look into at least three kinds of street art: posters, stencils and stickers. But these are the basics and you should feel free to try other forms. You can learn about the many splendiferous types of street art by clicking here.

It’s really easy to do these three types of street art. We’ve included some basic instructions so you can get started straight away. You can also use our own Education Is Not A Crime stencil – designers download it here (.pdf), here (.ai), here (.eps) and over here (.psd). And if you need any more help or explanation click the links below and explore!

Wheat paste sticking for posters:

1) Boil 200ml of water.
2) Put 3 tablespoons of white flour into a bowl and add 10 teaspoons of cold water to create a paste.
3) Once the water has boiled, add the paste to it.
4) Keep boiling for 2 minutes – don’t stop stirring your concoction!
5) Take off the heat and add 2 tablespoons of sugar for added strength.
6) You are done! Let it cool and put in a container ready to transport to your sticking location.

>More info

Stencil spray-painting:

This is also really easy but for those who don’t mind having their hands painted in colour!

1) Take your card and with a paper knife cut out the image you want to see on the wall.
2) Buy some spray paints and give them a solid shake.
3) Place your card on the desired wall and tape it so it sits flat against the wall. Take your can or paint brush and fill in the gaps.
4) Voila! Take a look at your masterpiece.

>See also - Video: How to create a graffiti stencil

Stickers:

Minimum effort with a big impact – easiest of all the choices. But note that placing stickers on public surfaces is not necessarily legitimate. Do your research!

1) Find a cheap-and-easy online sticker-pricing service. We’ve found a couple US and UK sticker sites with international shipping – StickyThings in the UK and StickerYou in the US.
2) Remove the sticker from its backing card.
3) Place over desired location and smooth down.


get in touch if you are planning a mini-event surrounding your project

And that’s all there is to it! Make sure you use hashtags for everything you see, do or post on the campaign. We’re on #NotACrime. #Iran and #humanrights are also good.

One more thing: have fun! And please stencil responsibly. ;)