Urban Graffiti Research Paper

Colorful writing is scrawled on walls and other public surfaces in most cities. Graffiti is unauthorized writing or drawings on public surfaces. Graffiti not only adds color but life to the streets. In todays society it is common for men and women to assume graffiti is just a name scrawled on a wall but graffiti is more than a name or a tag, it is an art form. Urban graffiti was born in New York City in the late 1960s. Taki 183, one of the first known graffiti artists, used a maker to write his name all over New York City. In 1971, Taki was interviewed for an article in the New York Times. It did not take long for people to start to imitate Taki. The number one goal of graffiti is to "get up" which means to have you name written in as many places possible. Markers were first used for tagging then spray paint was introduced to the graffiti world. Unlike the maker, spray paint can be used almost everywhere. With spray paint, bigger pieces can be painted faster with the help of different spray paint caps. Caps are nozzles that attach to the top of a spray can to help a writer achieve different affect such as drips. Spray paint helped form graffiti into a complex art form. In the …show more content…
Graffiti can lead to other crimes such as burglary and assault. Some artists "rack" paint which means to steal spray paint and other supplies from stores. Gangs use graffiti to communicate to other gang members and to mark territory. If one gang marks in another gangs territory, dangerous fights may start, these fights may result in death. Not all graffiti is gang graffiti, not all artists are thieves. According to National Council to Prevent Delinquency, 80 percent of graffiti is tags, 10 percent is gang graffiti, 5 percent is larger pieces and the last 5 percent is miscellaneous. It is common for big cities to have graffiti task forces that remove graffiti to keep the city clean. These forces use tax payer money to help fund the