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I’m sure there has been a time in your life where you’ve driven on the I-95 and saw that “Joe loves Lucy” or other professions of love this and hate that. Things like this are written on bridges, trains, and road signs to advertise the artist’s message to the general public, while drivers are left to think why should they care who loves who and who hates what. Graffiti is one of the most controversial issues existing in our society today. Some people may agree that graffiti is art while others may disagree and saying it’s vandalism. This leads to the question of what is vandalism? Oxford English dictionary defines vandalism as an “action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property”. This definition of …show more content…
Some argue that graffiti is an expression of free speech, but The Supreme Court has stated that the 1st amendment protects freedom of speech and expression so long as it does not infringe on the civil liberties of other people (). Private property owners have complete autonomy in how their property is decorated. For a person to unlawfully display their work on someone else’s premises directly infringes the rights of the owner. New York, and many other large, urban metropolises, prosecute individuals who are caught graffiting on their structures. No one could claim being discriminated against because their chosen form of art, but because they were not granted permission to create it. Graffitiing on private property without one's consent or expressed permission is not a form of art but a criminal …show more content…
Graffiti clean-up costs are paid by the city's taxpayers. The Anti-Graffiti Network in Philadelphia, launched in 1984 by former Mayor Wilson Goode, removes more than 100,000 graffiti pieces every year, clearing unwanted paint from corner mailboxes to expansive freeway walls. The effort costs the city of Philadelphia $1.3 million in personnel, supplies and equipment(). Theses funds could be used for schools, roads, parks and the community instead of graffiti clean-up. In 2015 more than 9,100 graffiti removal requests were made to Philly311, the group that records vandalism in the city. This is a decline from 11,563 reported incidents in 2014. To meet those requests, the city employs 11 graffiti removal crews and an abundance of tools(). Philadelphia is not the only city spending huge amounts on graffiti clean-ups; the city of San Francisco spends about two million dollars each year trying to get rid of graffiti. These funds are used to pay its crews to repaint 1.3 million square feet of walls, garage doors, lamp and utility posts, mail and wire boxes on public and private property
...dge at Westside Park has the remnants of many faded paint jobs that cover up graffiti from one generation only to reveal the next. Graffiti is a costly crime, ranging from $7-15 billion a year to erase from bridges, street signs, and public buildings. And once it has been painted over, it just becomes a blank canvas inviting new graffiti. There are not many preventative measures in Muncie, other than neighborhood watches, which are likely to decrease the amount of graffiti crimes in the future.
Mention the word graffiti and what typically comes to mind is something unpleasant and distasteful like indecent language scribbled on a wall of a store or crude pictures. Most graffiti is characterized as vandalism on property that does not belong to the culprit. Graffiti also displays negative graphics that promote some type of vulgar message such as violence, sex, drugs, gangs, and racism. On the other hand, when the terms “street” and “art” come together, a blast of colorful creations upon blank slates on the street comes to mind. Although street art is technically considered graffiti, it is a type of graffiti with positive qualities, but certain figures in society find street art to be, in some way, disruptive. If used properly, street art can be appreciated artistically and socially. Despite the negative stigma attached to graffiti, street art has emerged as a progressive valuable art form whose vast history, surge in popularity, and urge for social change warrant its classification as a fine art.
Some members of the Caltrans organization are in favor and support Frank Romero because of his iconic role in L.A. Others don't want to help him because it's just a waste of money and time that isn't really necessary. In Adolfo Huzman-Lopez's article titled "End is near for some LA freeway murals due to graffiti," it says that "Caltrans spokesman Patrick Chandler said taggers returned, and that's why his agency agency launched, on a pilot basis, the Mobile Mural Restoration Project. ' After spending so many hours and days and several thousand if not hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair these, still vandals attack and defend these murals,' he said" He's saying that even after the huge amount of money spent the murals will continued to be vandalized over and over again. It also says," A Caltrans spokesman said freeway graffiti removal is an expensive process that can expose its crew to danger. He said the agency can paint over the murals if artists don't maintain them.
Although many people believe that graffiti is vandalism, it is in fact art because many museums display graffiti, people are interested in it, and it displays beauty and emotional power. Many people have learned to appreciate graffiti as an art form and have opened their eyes to the beauty and emotional power it holds. From the video on CBS News, “Is Graffiti Art or Vandalism,” Laura Fanning (museum visitor) explains at 1:42 “. now I see it as more of a commentary and a statement of ‘I’m leaving my mark’.” This quote exhibits a museum visitor whose perception of graffiti changed when she went to a museum that displayed graffiti.
On the contrary, many argue that since unauthorized graffiti is illegal, it is not art, instead it is vandalism. The New York Times insisted that graffiti’s most important quality is the fact it is illegal. However, regardless of its legality, graffiti is art. A flower growing in the “wrong” place is still a flower. Likewise, art in the “wrong” place is still art.
Vandals; Cornbread, Taki 183, Phase 2, Banksy, Jean-Michel Basquiat are only a few of the OG street artist who were able to take claim of their identity and express their art through their graffiti.
Kabak, Benjamin. "Looking Back at the Battle against Subway Graffiti." Second Ave Sagas RSS. N.p., 09 June 2013. Web. 10 May 2014.
Graffiti has been around for centuries. It can be seen on buildings, cars, and anything that can be painted with a spray can. Since graffiti came to exist, there has been much debate on whether it is an art form or an illegal activity. While it has been banned and deemed illegal all over the world, it still persists in today’s society. Along with the controversy that comes with graffiti, many commonly known stereotypes are apparent within the act of graffiti. Stereotypically, graffiti is seen as an urban act done by younger people. Typically, since this act is considered illegal, it is mostly done in the middle of the night, and the people partaking are usually wearing dark or black clothes. The picture, “LATA 65 IS A CREATIVE
Graffiti has been on the rise in popularity since its beginnings fifty years ago. Danielle Crinnion provides a brief history of graffiti arguing that “Philadelphia
Art is the expression or application of our thoughts, desires, emotions and feelings. Art helps us spread and share our thoughts with others. There are many different types of art and graffiti is one of them. Each person living in this world has their own definition of art. Some define graffiti as illegal because they believe that it abuses public property. Others believe that Graffiti should be legalized because they see it as not just another form of art but also as a useful form of political expression, a way to beautify scenery and as a potential source of income.
It is a ridiculous belief that just because graffiti is done somewhere without consent, it throws out the notion that it is still art. Sure, the piece of work was done illegally but why can’t the work still be appreciated and enjoyed. Art is art wherever it is found. The location of the piece does not change that. In fact, graffiti can kill two birds with one stone. First, at the foundation it is a form of art. Second, on top of that foundation a message can be erected and directed. But as the saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Many consider these unnecessary risks. Creating graffiti shows a willful disregard of another's property. Artists do not ask owners for permission to draw or paint on their property, whether private or public. If the owner is a private entity or insurance company must absorb the cost of having to remove the work or the owner must take care of it yourself. If the owner is a governmental entity, taxpayers absorb the costs.
Graffiti is a form of art that people use to express themselves and to convey various messages to people in a particular community. In the movie "Graffiti Verite':. One of the graffiti artist explained that his purpose in doing graffiti is that it allows him to "express his anger' on the wall. Another kid by the name of "Jipsie" said that graffiti is a "form of growth". There were several different explanations that artists shared as well as several different reasons why they like graffiti. The common theme among the graffiti artist and taggers was that graffiti is simply a form of self-expression (Bryan). At the end of the film one tagger made a comment and said, "graffiti is not vandalism, but it is a beautiful crime". This comment did not make sense to me. Committing a crime, a hideous act, is not a beautiful thing to do by any means. Graffiti does not mean people can go around and draw and spray paint on other peoples property. Regardless of what types of graffiti are being expressed by the tagger, this type of self expression is considered vandalism when people decide to draw, destroy, or violate any persons property without consent. As a result of taggers committing the crime of vandalism, property owners, concerned citizens, and law enforcement officers spend too much time, money, and energy trying to put an end to the unlawful act of vandalism.
One of the main reasons street art is considered a crime is because it is believed to deface the property of which it has been applied to. Another problem being that Graffiti is costly to clean, in major cities the budget for cleaning graffiti can be in the millions. There is a solution to this problem that one city in Australia has applied. Police in Fremantle, Australia are focusing on getting rid of tags and less desirable graffiti but leaving the rest up because they believe it impacts the “culture and vibrancy of the city.” By focusing on the Graffiti that is vulgar and gang related they are saving the city thousands of dollars and time while still keeping what is considered street art. The mayor believes that tags will become even more unlikely because they are taken down so fast due to the focused effort of the clean up teams. Getting rid of street art is censoring people’s opinions and their way to voice
At the end of the day, people should stop underestimating graffiti art. Banksy, in his book, “Banging Your Head Against A Brick Wall,” said “Graffiti is one of the few tools you have if you have almost nothing. And even if you don't come up with a picture to cure world poverty you can make someone smile while they're having a piss.” Graffiti work should be admired by everyone else because it holds so many significance whether it's only a phrase or a sketch. People shouldn't just absentmindedly assume it as the worst thing ever or as an awful thing. I agree that it can be vandalism to the public but graffiti can also be made in many other places legally so why think of it in the dark side? People should take care on how they are judging the striking art behind graffiti and criticizing it without really evaluating all the great meaning behind it.