Art comes in many forms but is graffiti considered one of them? Many people think of graffiti as a nuisance or vandalism, or that it’s a bother to clean up and erase from city walls. But there is a fine line defining what is art and what is vandalism. Sometimes graffiti can be non-attractive when it’s just plain scribbles and writing. However, sometimes it is writing that shows creativity ,as well as political pictures and symbols, of an unknown artist. Graffiti is a way for people to express what they feel and think but doing this is illegal.

Many gang members use graffiti as a way to mark their territory and to display messages or threats through codes for other gangs. Tagging is a method gang members use to write their name or gang name to mark territory. There are usually several free walls in each state where artists can create their graffiti legally, but those walls are not always used. People still choose to make their art on buildings and in alley ways. These artists get adrenaline rushes out of making their art without getting caught. It’s one of the reasons why people make graffiti.

So what defines good and bad art? I think that it all depends on perspective. Everyone has a different perspective on things. One of the most famous graffiti artists is Banksy – an anonymous English artist who paints political images and dark humor using a specific stencil technique. He began creating graffiti in the 1990’s and he still remains anonymous today. His last face-to-face interview occurred in 2003. Some places to see artwork and graffiti here in Denver are at the River North Art District, East Colfax, the Art District on Santa Fe, Confluence Park, and South Broadway. click here for more info

Graffiti has pros and cons, but overall I believe that creating graffiti is a positive act. It has the potential of improving the community or replacing deteriorating city walls with beautiful artwork. It is art filled with emotion and feelings about matters of the world. Society makes graffiti out to be a serious crime but what about it is so wrong? It doesn’t hurt anyone physically or emotionally. Graffiti should be embraced and admired, not ignored and thought of as a crime.