Mackenzie Morgan
24 November 2015
Draft #4 Article # 1
Title: Art or vandalism?
Type: News
What do you think of when you hear the term “Graffiti”? Do you think of artistic
expression, perhaps in which the world is used as the ultimate canvas to reflect on the
sociopolitical environment of the time? Or, are the only images you’re getting involve sloppy
tags of local gangs on abandoned buildings and young boys in hoodies with spray paint cans?
And, maybe the most important question, can they both be art?
Born out of New York City in the ‘60s by a man known only as Taki 183, which was a
shortened version of his nickname, Demetaki, and his address, 183rd street, graffiti started off as
young kids writing their names and hundred blocks in black marker on any public surface they
could find.
This was the beginning of modern tagging. This is what became nicknames, street names,
and gang names in vibrant colors once spray paint hit the scene: style wars of kids trying to outdo each other—bigger, better, even covering the names and statements of others. The messages
of social justice and antiestablishmentarianism plastered throughout cities in the ‘70s were born
from a movement started by a bored teenage boy with a marker. But it never even crossed the
minds of these individuals at the time that their hobby could be considered art. When exactly is
the line drawn between vandalism and art? Is it possible for vandalism to be art? These are
questions that have been long debated.
“If it is mean, if it is crude, if it is demeaning, and if it offends people besides ruining a
wall that nobody’s seen in a thousand years, then it is vandalism,” says Marissa Thobe,‘17 “If it
is work that expresses feeling and passion then it is definitely art.” Thobe was one of the many
students who expressed their support for graffiti artists, even showing pictures of street art she
had taken while in Paris.
“I feel like there’s a proper time and place for street art; the line is drawn when it’s not
done on a place where it’s reserved for,” says Ms. Aguila, Guidance Counselor. “Even when it
doesn’t necessarily belong somewhere, it can be very beautiful. Like you go by a bridge and see
someone spray painted something, usually their name, however, and that’s nice, but I like seeing
something beyond cleverly writing your name, you know? [Like Banksy] it’s cool when they can
tie in a political message,” said Ms. Aguila, Guidance Counselor.
Banksy was a name that came up a lot throughout interviewing Carver Center. The
anonymous British graffiti artist erupted onto the scene in 2003 with his exhibit ‘Turf War’
which used live animals and stencils to attack brands and capitalism. He’s managed to get his art
on walls from the Gaza Strip to California, all seen as equally politically controversial in nature,
while still keeping his identity hidden from the public.
While Banksy is seen as an inspiration to some, others aren’t so fond of him for the same
reasons Banksy’s art seems to fight against: capitalism. “Environmental law states that graffiti ‘is
an act of criminal damage’. When was it decided that Banksy was exempt from this law? Is there
a loophole that permits graffiti artists to vandalize public property if Brad Pitt and Angelina
Jolie have spent £1 million on their work?” said Alex Horne of VICE Magazine. “It's very much
one rule for him and another rule for everyone else. When street artists do it, it's vandalism.
When Banksy does it, it's an art piece," adds David of Shoreditch's Graffiti Life Gallery in an
interview with VICE.
Emily Plovan, ‘17 says, “It’s unfair. Just because [some street art] ‘says something’
doesn’t mean that other street art isn’t as beautiful or creative; smaller tags are just as important
as large murals.” So maybe the argument here is that art and vandalism don’t necessarily have to
have a line drawn down the middle, and can instead overlap. Art being illegal doesn’t stop it
from being art; it just stops it from being legal. Whether it is a tag on the side of a building or a
political message worked out in a spray painted cartoon, both are equally illegal. So the decision
is yours: is it ok to pick and choose what’s above the law due to popularity or the subjective idea
of what is and isn’t art?
Mackenzie,
This is a great article. I’m amazed of how well it has come together. You’re almost done, nice
work.
8/10 LATE