Graffiti is Art, not Vandalism

West graffiti art

Graffiti Is Art, not vandalism. 

 Would you want to live in a place where you see impressive graffiti in a city, town, or public place? According to Forbes Daily, real estate agents sell more apartments when the surrounding areas are covered with beautiful street art. 

In addition, graffiti is an amazing sight to see and turns a drab place into a place full of life. 

When I was traveling to Italy with my family, we stopped in New York City to wait for our flight. NYC was livid and bright. I saw a few hotdog stands, and then I found this place in Downtown NYC, a place that would’ve been boring, brought to life with color and art. It was just amazing.

Some would say, “Graffiti is illegal and not even art, it’s just spraying paint on walls.” To this, I would say, yes, it is illegal, however, it shows freedom of expression, perhaps better than anything else. 

“Art ceases to exist without freedom of expression,” said a journalist from Artlife.com. “Graffiti exercises this right more than any other medium.”

I don’t think graffiti should be considered vandalism because it brings life to anything it touches. Mrs. Hedrick, West Art Teacher, describes her opinion, “Graffiti is always controversial! It is always art, but not legal. If you spray paint on anyone’s property, without permission, that is vandalism. You can go to jail for that! If you ask the owner, they might even let you do a graffiti mural.  They may even pay you!.”

Gallery • 3 Photos

West graffiti art

I love this quote because Mrs Hedrick doesn’t take a side. She didn’t say it’s always art no matter what, or even if it’s not art just vandalism.

I am ending with that I believe that if you get permission, it’s always art. And even so, if you’re good at it. You could even make some cash.

*Warning, creating graffiti around school buildings will still have serious consequences*