Why Street Art Cities only works with local hunters (and not as an open platform)!
At first glance, it might seem tempting to make SAC completely open, letting anyone, upload anywhere without limits. But that’s exactly the kind of chaos we’ve worked hard to avoid.
Street Art Cities was built on one key principle: quality over quantity. Our mission isn’t just to create a giant online gallery, it’s to document the global street art scene accurately, contextually, and respectfully. And that’s only possible because of our local hunters & verified artists: passionate people who know their city’s walls like the back of their hand. We’ve seen it in the past, creating a open source street art mapping community just isn’t sustainable!
1. Local knowledge means accurate information.
Street art changes constantly, murals appear, fade, get painted over, or disappear overnight. Local hunters are the eyes and ears on the ground. They know when a piece is new, when it’s gone, and who painted it.
An open platform would quickly fill up with duplicate uploads, wrong locations, and misattributed works cluttering maps and trigger frustration with the audience. By relying on dedicated locals, every artwork added to Street Art Cities comes with verified details and a true understanding of its story and context.
2. It’s about community, not just content
Hunters are not just contributors, they’re our street art ambassadors & community builders. They organize tours, connect with artists, collaborate with festivals, and support local art scenes.
Opening the platform to everyone would dilute this sense of community. Our hunter model ensures every city has someone who truly cares about representing their local culture, not just collecting likes or chasing uploads. It’s build on trust and engagement and comes with responsibilities, which would trigger reactions when an ‘outsider’ would drop his or her picture archive on their carefully curated content.
With the verified artist feature we welcome every artist to take control of his/her work, solving the missing link in the ecosystem.
3. Respecting the artists and their work.
Street art lives in public space, but that doesn’t mean it should be treated carelessly online. Otherwise you get uncredited pictures like you see everyday on social media (don’t you hate that?). By working with trusted local hunters following our guidelines , we ensure artworks are shared responsibly, with credit to the artist, proper context, and no exposure of illegal or personal spaces.
Open uploads could risk leaking private walls, unfinished works, or even illegal pieces that might get artists into trouble. Hunters understand these boundaries and act with care.
4. Curation keeps the map meaningful
Without curation, any map quickly turns into noise. Our curated approach ensures that every pin on the Street Art Cities map adds value: a verified location, artist info, and good visuals. Running a global art community with just a handful of people is challenging when following up on new enthusiastic hunters, that’s why we installed some those social features in the app where our users can notify us when info isn’t accurate.
It’s not just about documenting everything, it’s about documenting what matters.
5. Sustainability and trust
Street Art Cities has grown to thousands (85.000+ when we’re writing this) of mapped artworks because of trust, trust from artists, from festivals, and from our community. That trust depends on accuracy and respect.
If anyone could upload, we’d lose the reliability that makes our platform useful for journalists, researchers, city councils, and travelers alike.
In short: we’re not gatekeeping, we’re preserving.
By working with local hunters and artists Street Art Cities stays reliable, personal, and deeply connected to the cities it represents. It’s how we make sure every artwork on the map tells the right story, through the eyes of someone who actually walks those streets. Read more about our hunters in post below.
Meet the Hunters: the guardians of your city’s Street Art
Hunters are the Street Art Cities community members responsible for maintaining the artworks in a specific city. They document new pieces, update existing ones, and help ensure that the information on the platform stays accurate and inspiring. Think of them as the caretakers of your local street art ecosystem.
So the next time you explore your city and spot a new mural missing on the map, reach out to your local hunter, use the social features in the app.
They’ll make sure it finds its rightful place on the map, alongside all the other stories your walls have to tell.
Are you convinced you’re a perfect match for our community and want to join as a hunter, please sign up here.