Driving through cities I am seeing more and more graffiti. Anything that has a flat surface has some
sort of design painted on it. Granted, some of the graffiti artist have talent but to spray all flat areas
with their so called art is just ugly. Why do kids think people want to see this ugliness.

A new thing, at least in the Philadelphia area, is an Anti-Graffiti Network. They clean up building walls of
graffiti and paint a mural in it's place. I don't speak for everyone but I think these murals are just as ugly
as the graffiti itself.

So, what are your thoughts? Is graffiti a work of art or is it an eyesore?

It's an absolute chuffin' eyesore...

Also, it's rather strange how these 'artists' will never deface their own abode... ::)

It's an absolute chuffin' eyesore...

Also, it's rather strange how these 'artists' will never deface their own abode... ::)


I have to agree with you, Paul...

I have yet to find one person who thinks Graffiti looks nice, so why do people do it. Years ago
it was a way for gangs to mark their territory but anymore it's just to deface property. Some
stores in my area won't sell spray paint to anyone under 18, like that helps, and they also keep
it behind the counter. Like Paul says, they won't spray their own homes so why paint another's
property?

Driving through cities I am seeing more and more graffiti. Anything that has a flat surface has some
sort of design painted on it. Granted, some of the graffiti artist have talent but to spray all flat areas
with their so called art is just ugly. Why do kids think people want to see this ugliness.

A new thing, at least in the Philadelphia area, is an Anti-Graffiti Network. They clean up building walls of
graffiti and paint a mural in it's place. I don't speak for everyone but I think these murals are just as ugly
as the graffiti itself.

So, what are your thoughts? Is graffiti a work of art or is it an eyesore?


I think there is a graffiti art form.  And if displayed as art, in a gallery or wherever, it's great.  When I lived in Queens there was this place, not sure if it's still there, that had walls where graffiti artists could come and contribute.

Anything that violates someone else's property is just wrong. 

Driving through cities I am seeing more and more graffiti. Anything that has a flat surface has some
sort of design painted on it. Granted, some of the graffiti artist have talent but to spray all flat areas
with their so called art is just ugly. Why do kids think people want to see this ugliness.

A new thing, at least in the Philadelphia area, is an Anti-Graffiti Network. They clean up building walls of
graffiti and paint a mural in it's place. I don't speak for everyone but I think these murals are just as ugly
as the graffiti itself.

So, what are your thoughts? Is graffiti a work of art or is it an eyesore?

Hey,a lot of local schools have murals and I think they look nice.

It's just defacement of property. A few months ago some kids were spray painting on the subway lines in Brooklyn and got hit by a train - I say, Good.

It's just defacement of property. A few months ago some kids were spray painting on the subway lines in Brooklyn and got hit by a train - I say, Good.
Okay,but what's wrong with the homeless having some art to look at?

Driving through cities I am seeing more and more graffiti. Anything that has a flat surface has some
sort of design painted on it. Granted, some of the graffiti artist have talent but to spray all flat areas
with their so called art is just ugly. Why do kids think people want to see this ugliness.

A new thing, at least in the Philadelphia area, is an Anti-Graffiti Network. They clean up building walls of
graffiti and paint a mural in it's place. I don't speak for everyone but I think these murals are just as ugly
as the graffiti itself.

So, what are your thoughts? Is graffiti a work of art or is it an eyesore?




The Anti-Graffitti Network is hardly new. They've been around for about 20 years. The murals are actually beautiful and add something good to the neighborhoods. Raised in North Philly, I can attest to their beauty when compared to the graffiti that was originally there. Besides, it is a great volunteer opportunity for young people.

Anything that violates someone else's property is just wrong. 


Agreed!! It is not pleasing to see anytime, anywhere. It just besmirches things.

The Anti-Graffitti Network is hardly new. They've been around for about 20 years. The murals are actually beautiful and add something good to the neighborhoods. Raised in North Philly, I can attest to their beauty when compared to the graffiti that was originally there. Besides, it is a great volunteer opportunity for young people.


For as long as graffiti has been around 20 years is relatively new. I have to disagree about the murals. Not everyone has the
same taste in art. With artwork hanging on a wall you can choose not to look at it, not comment on it or not buy it. Murals
on the other hand are there, plastered on a wall for all to see. If it happens to be on your commute route you have no
choice than to be subjected to it's ugliness. Granted some murals are done well and are real works of art. The Dr. J  mural
on Ridge Ave. is an excellent depiction, I just don't think it belongs on the side of a building. I know I wouldn't want it or
any mural on a building I owned.

I look at it this way. Murals are just like cops posing as hookers. It's there to clean up a neighborhood and make the people
of the neighborhood feel better but to an outsider looking in it's just as ugly as the thing it's covering.

I don't like seeing it on buildings and stuff....but I can't help getting a kick out of looking at passing trains and seeing the graffiti on there...some of it is very interesting....but granted, they shouldn't deface other people's property.

Back in the 60's, I had a customer in my store who lived in East New York, Brooklyn.  His name was Eddie T.  He was born in the Dominican Republic. He became a good friend.  He was a driver for a reputable delivery company that everyone would recognize.  He also was a very talented "graffiti" artist.  If anyone took a subway in Brooklyn in the 1960's you might have seen his work.  The walls of Eddie's house had his largest mural.  Everyone in the neighborhood liked Eddie and they really admired his work.  I think his best works were a series of graffiti murals on this one street, where there were 10 garages on one side of the street...Each garage door had a graffiti tribute to some soldier or marine who had paid the ultimate price over in Vietnam.

I also can remember some beautiful graffiti art only 5 years ago on a couple of buildings right off the beach in Venice California.

There is graffiti and there is graffiti.  A lot of it was an eyesore, but I saw plenty of real art, that brightened some pretty shabby neighborhoods.

Once again, I guess "art" or "eyesore" is in the eye of the beholder.   

Some of the graffiti I have seen has struck me as quite well-composed and beautiful--even the "ugly" because sometimes I find a lot beauty in "ugliness."

From a sociolgocal/political/economic standpoint, I find the purpose of much graffiti menacing and depressing.  But that's rather political and I'm not gonna get into it here.

Grafitti has become a nuissance around here to the point where citizens are complaining lile crazy.  The funny thing is with all the grafitti i see everywhere locally, very seldom do I see a swear word written

Okay,but what's wrong with the homeless having some art to look at?


;D ;D Although I like that idea.. most bums probably aren't all that concerned about artwork.

I'm kinda torn on this subject. On one hand i am sympathetic to graffitti artists just for the simple fact that most graffiti are forms of protests. Then again when I have to walk down the staircase of my building and see obscene and unapproriate things written, yeah it  makes me a little mad.
I have respect for those who show their stuff in galleries and exhibitions, but when they deface property it's not cool by any means. Especially if its BS like gang signs or just random cursing.

In the 80s, it looked cool, with the breakdancers popping and locking in view of a graffiti covered wall

I think if it's just someone's name, and it's not on their property, it's just crap.  That being said, I've seen some that was beautiful, but it wasn't just someone "tagging" their name somewhere, it actually was a picture of something....

I don't know if anyone knows Shore Road in Brooklyn (Bay Ridge) but I was doign a fitness walk there yesterdya morning and someone had written his tag on each car parked along the street.  I think it was like "Tee-O" or something.  If that'd been my car, I would have tracked that thug down and I wouldn't have stopped until he paid for my damages.

In the UK there is a grafitti artist (Banksy) who has had his work displayed in art galleries and sold via art auctions.  London Transport workers still thought it set a bad example though.  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6575345.stm

I don't like seeing it on buildings and stuff....but I can't help getting a kick out of looking at passing trains and seeing the graffiti on there...some of it is very interesting....but granted, they shouldn't deface other people's property.

Yeah! How would they like it if someone defaced their property?

You rarely see graffiti around here but as I was driving to New York I saw quite a lot (mostly in New Jersey and New York).  It was annoying that you see it everywhere but I was quite amazed by some of it, so much detail.  I couldn't imagine trying to do that with a can of spary paint, I can't even spray paint my metal patio chairs with out making a huge mess.  ;D

I don't know if anyone knows Shore Road in Brooklyn (Bay Ridge) but I was doign a fitness walk there yesterdya morning and someone had written his tag on each car parked along the street.  I think it was like "Tee-O" or something.  If that'd been my car, I would have tracked that thug down and I wouldn't have stopped until he paid for my damages.

A few years ago some high school kids were hanging with their homies down at my radio station.  One of them tagged the wall with his little siggie in big fat indelible marker.  The engineer and I went through the surveillance tapes and printed out a clear picture of the kid with the marker to the wall.  We made the DJ on air at the time cough up the kid's name on pains of losing his station privileges and being held responsible for the damage himself.  I never got to the bottom of what happened, all I know is the management called the kid, the kid called his parents, his parents called somebody else, the word "racism" got put out there, and that's the last we ever heard of it!  I advised management to turn the video stills over to the police first thing, but they said they didn't want to get the cops involved.  I don't like cops either.  However, once the cops took the vandalism case off our hands, then the activists would have to call the cops "racist."  Instead, it was a lose/lose situation for us.  The kid got off scot free and the wall remained defaced until we had the budget to repaint it.
::)

It totally depends,graffiti can be just an act of vandalism,but i also got the amazing opportunity of visiting the Freedom Tunnel in NYC and it's just breathtaking,those murals can only be classified as Art.

And it also been around since forever,inscriptions and figure drawings that helped us study ancient history can be classified as graffiti,so it better not go anywhere it's history in the making 8)

A few years ago some high school kids were hanging with their homies down at my radio station.  One of them tagged the wall with his little siggie in big fat indelible marker.  The engineer and I went through the surveillance tapes and printed out a clear picture of the kid with the marker to the wall.  We made the DJ on air at the time cough up the kid's name on pains of losing his station privileges and being held responsible for the damage himself.  I never got to the bottom of what happened, all I know is the management called the kid, the kid called his parents, his parents called somebody else, the word "racism" got put out there, and that's the last we ever heard of it!  I advised management to turn the video stills over to the police first thing, but they said they didn't want to get the cops involved.  I don't like cops either.  However, once the cops took the vandalism case off our hands, then the activists would have to call the cops "racist."  Instead, it was a lose/lose situation for us.  The kid got off scot free and the wall remained defaced until we had the budget to repaint it.
::)


That is horrible, Max.  Where do you live, if I might ask?

;D ;D Although I like that idea.. most bums probably aren't all that concerned about artwork.
maybe,but if someone lives under a bridge,they usually don't mind having some"cool stuff' to look at.The kids who paint under the bridge are pretty considerate--they ask anyone who's down there if they mind if they paint.You can't really see it if you go down there anyway.

That is horrible, Max.  Where do you live, if I might ask?


Amherst, Mass.  That's where UMass is.

Amherst, Mass.  That's where UMass is.



OK.  I guess with all the colleges up there, I can see where the radio station would be scared of a protest. 

I think too often in big-time college towns/environments, the people over 30 are afraid to do the adult thing for fear of pissing off the student population.  :(

OK.  I guess with all the colleges up there, I can see where the radio station would be scared of a protest. 

I think too often in big-time college towns/environments, the people over 30 are afraid to do the adult thing for fear of pissing off the student population.   :(

Oh jeez, the stories I could tell!