The University of New Mexico College of Fine Arts hosts “Spreading the Gospel: Graffiti and the Public Space as a Canvas.” This collaborative exhibition is open through Monday, Oct. 31 at the College of Fine Arts Downtown Studio at 113 4th St. NW.

Graffiti and murals give voice to publics and shape our space. The tension between legibility and decoration is the cornerstone of graffiti's aesthetic.

Elizabeth Shores (artist) and Kevin Kenjar (anthropologist) present the complexities of public representation and contestation among ideological factions in the Balkans. Jim Roeber (epidemiologist) and Noah Factor McLaurine (artist) delve into inscribed petroglyphs, hobo signs and love notes in New Mexico. Kymberly Pinder (historian and author of Painting the Gospel: Black Public Art and Religion in Chicago) explores urban saints and altars at crossroads in Chicago, Brooklyn and Havana.

A public panel discussion is to be held on Friday, Oct. 28 at 5 p.m. followed by a book signing from 6:30-9 p.m.

Gallery hours are Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment.