Chronicling the meteoric rise of the urban artist from vandal and outlaw to cultural trendsetter, ArtsWestchester's upcoming exhibition From the Streets: An Exhibition of Urban Art will feature murals, paintings, photography, sculpture and installations from artists at the cutting edge of their discipline. From April 8 to July 15, the ground floor of ArtsWestchester's gallery in White Plains will highlight legendary artists who rose to prominence in the 1980's, a pivotal moment in graffiti's burgeoning culture. It was this era where a spirit of competition fostered innovation and birthed a unique mode of artistic expression. From the Streets tracks these artists' continued influence on urban visual culture and examines the shift from the streets to the gallery and museum. Artists exhibited on the gallery's second floor are internationally recognized for creating provocative work informed by the attitude and style of street art's pioneers.

"Graffiti emerged as a cultural phenomenon in the 1980s and is now being used in communities as an economic development strategy as it also rises in prominence on the global arts scene," said Janet Langsam, CEO of ArtsWestchester. "From the Streets is an exuberant journey through the evolution of street art that throws a spotlight on today's urban visual culture."

"Street art is a movement that encapsulates the aesthetic and experiences of urban youth" said From the Streets Co-Curator Marc Leader. "It is a global movement that challenges and questions the status quo of society and transcends any one city. 'From the Streets' is a visual chronicle of the meteoric rise of the street artist - from vandal and outlaw to cultural trendsetter."

Leader is a founder of 212 Arts an East Village gallery committed to promoting urban artwork and New York City culture. 212 Arts exhibits a diverse group of artists including 70's and 80's graffiti pioneers internationally acclaimed street artists and New York cultural innovators.

Leader is the co-curator of From the Streets along with curator Melissa McCaig-Welles of curator19.90, an early pioneer in the Williamsburg Brooklyn art-scene opening McCaig-Welles Gallery in March of 2000. McCaig-Welles focuses on mid-career cutting edge artists that have emerged from the urban aesthetics that figured prominently in cities around the U.S. leading up to the millennium. From the Streets exemplifies the scope and evolution of a subculture that has become a global movement.