Like The Harlem Renaissance In Harlem, New York City

Living in an urban all of my life, I have always been surrounded by street art. Some were vulgar, some were just words, and others were well thought out pieces that really caught people’s attention. Thus to me, street art as always been considered a form of art. I always knew a little bit about graffiti and street art, but I always focused on the big names and adults who work in the field; never adolescent children, as the video presented. I always knew that graffiti was created by all people of all ages, different races, and different genders, but I never heard of the stories from these types of artists. If anything, this video only solidifies by belief in the idea of graffiti and street art being another form of art, American art. For clarification,

It wasn’t exactly a form of attack, instead it was a way of expressing that the city is not only owned by those in power, but also by the people who utilize all of their services. This was a way for people, especially those in poverty, to state their dominance in their city that is being controlled by men and women in the corporate world who don’t know what it’s like living in downtown Brooklyn or Harlem. This was a way of regaining control of their town, and allowing them to creatively express themselves at the same

The topic of graffiti is entangled with other social issues such as law enforcement, poverty, public vs. private property, content, racism, and sexism. Graffiti, is seen differently by many different people, regardless of race (as the mother presented in the vide). Yet, those who understand the amount of work, planning, and risk taking that goes through the process, tend to appreciate it more those others. Yet, a majority of people see it only as a form of vandalism done by delinquents. In today’s age, tagging has been cut down dramatically, but different styles of “wall art” have been popping up throughout different towns by people who were given permission to display their art on public property. The only issue with this is that a majority of artists that are given permission have no history in the towns that are painting in, and tend to be of the higher social class. This is commonly seen in cities and towns that are undergoing gentrification. Another hot topic is the removal of graffiti from 5 Points in New York City. What was once an abandoned building became the safe haven from graffiti artists throughout New York. Recently, the building was bought out, and the fight for the art that was put on those wall began. Thousands of people rallied and petitioned for the protection of the art and history that was instilled into that building, but unfortunately they lost and the graffiti was painted