Das ruas para a escola: a negritude e a poética do grafite

Abstract

Aiming to unveil characteristics and conditions that support the understanding of the phenomenon of artistic creation in urban art and its possibilities as a manifesto against structural racism, this dissertation, presented to the National Professional Master's Degree in Arts (ProfArtes), linked to the Graduate Program in Arts (PPGArtes) at the Faculty of Arts, Languages, and Communication (FAALC) of the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS), is structured as a means to contribute to pedagogical practices through art education. The research focuses on the work of urban artist Leonardo Mareco, using a qualitative phenomenological approach, with data collected through a pedagogical intervention with 4th-grade students from a public elementary school in Campo Grande/MS, Brazil. At the end of the research, after analyzing the field notes, three categories emerged: A) A small chaos, B) By the Black color, and C) Through the city streets. The research remains in motion, guided by the pursuit of meaningful learning content. The explicit absence of reflections on Black identity in classes, even in the presence of Black artists, does not imply indifference, but rather reveals the naturalization of racism in the students’ daily lives, highlighting the urgency of continuous pedagogical practices that promote listening, critical thinking, and awareness. It is argued that the school should go beyond the formal curriculum, becoming a space for mediation, knowledge exchange, and the formation of critical, conscious individuals committed to social justice and respect for differences. The intervention was reassessed, resulting in the creation of educational material to be used as a teaching resource by other educators, contributing to a fairer and more equitable learning environment that recognizes and values Black culture, using art as a tool for resistance and social transformation.