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The Last Free Speech: Street Art at Manual Arts High School

World renowned artists are heading to South Los Angeles to collaborate with students and visually give voice to social and political issues.

Liz Dwyer
By Liz DwyerMar 10, 2011
Liz Dwyer
Liz Dwyer is the education editor at GOOD. She was previously the education editor at TakePart and has written about education, parenting, and social justice for several national websites and print publications.
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photography by Layli Samimi-Moore

educationartgraffitistreet artartiststeachinggangscitiespasadenastandardized testslaw enforcementillustratorsteenagersjackson pollockmark ayalaroalayli samimi-moorelayli samimisouth central los angelessouth labasquiatloraine villarealyo collectivemanual arts highewoeismart teachersstencilingshark toofteen girlsart classmonetmonet haystackskofie onephilip gustontaggingwomen

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They say music soothes the soul, but many people feel music in their bodies. Not just through dancing, but by people literally feeling good and getting chills listening to their favorite songs. Your heart beats differently, the skin on your arm bubbles with goosebumps, and whatever is troubling you seems to melt away. Listening to some songs can feel like a drug going through your system. Well, it turns out a recent Finnish university study shows that comparing music to a drug isn’t too far off.

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