Today we’d like to introduce you to Sami Wakim.
Sami, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
It all started in 2012 as a Facebook page, by posting pictures of murals downloaded off the internet, and in return, people started liking the pictures and the page as well.
Artists took notice and started sending their works and some of them asked if there was any interests in interviewing them. Then a website was built to publish these interviews on, and from there things took off. In less than 4 years, our Facebook page has accumulated over 140,000 likes/followers.
Street Art United States (SAUS) often focuses on projects that have a strong messages related to relevant issues such as injustice, poverty and racism…
We have arranged a couple of street art murals in the Boston area and have hosted local and international artists who have contributed to the flourishing street art community in the city.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth road!
Our aim is to invite many international artists to Boston and leave their imprints in our fair city but we are finding it hard to get funding, because, in most cases, Graffiti and Street Art is still somewhat looked down upon and still considered as vandalism, which is also a reflection on how conservative the city of Boston is towards the Street Art movement.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Street Art United States (SAUS) is a platform where a group of like-minded bloggers and activists voice their opinions, through Street Art, on current events, such as poverty, injustice, racism, Homophobia, corruption, gentrification and consumerism…
What I am proud of is the world that I was introduced to through SAUS and the interesting people I met along the way, especially my team: Barbara Picci, Charlotte Bourgeon, Fran Cacirano, Rachel Margolin, Saide Tawk, and Iryna Kanishcheva.
What were you like growing up?
I was born and raised in Beirut during Lebanon’s 25-year civil war, a war that was inflicted on us by the big powers, just like what’s happening in the world today. So I didn’t have a normal childhood as we were all living our daily lives in survival mode. The war was ugly and it left some scars in me, but it also shaped the person I am. It gave me patience and taught me to appreciate what I have and not take anything for granted.
When I moved to the USA in 2002 I couldn’t help but notice the level of misinformation among people here about the Middle East. So having SAUS is a good way to voice my opinion through Street Art.c
Contact Info:
- Address: Boston, MA
- Website: www.streetartunitedstates.com
- Email: info@streetartunitedstates.com
Image Credit:
All photos by Sami Wakim, except group photo by Iryna Kanishcheva
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
