Art is a medium of expression and many people use it to convey themselves. Some have gone too far and use street walls as their canvas. Though vandalism and graffiti are illegal in many cities around the world, several studies consider it beneficial for the community.
Photographer and journalist Patrick Verel released his new book, Graffiti Murals which aims to exhibit the good effects of graffiti art to the society. Verel, in his book, also featured studies that support his claim.
Although several places in America legalized street art such as graffiti, some still do not see its contribution to the public. Two years ago, the owner of the building were 5Pointz, a graffiti spot in Queens, New York stood, ordered to remove all the public art created on the building's wall. Gordon Douglas a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Chicago, speaking about the incidence said, "A huge amount of social science throws [graffiti] into a camp of being a sign of crime and disorder. The truth is, at this point, some graffiti and street art are arguably contributing to gentrification and contributing to increases in the appeal of certain neighborhoods."
Diane Villanueva, a Visual Studies major wrote in her blog some of the benefits that public art brings in building a community Villanueva explained how graffiti is a form of uniting all the people in one area with different occupations in life. "These murals allow opportunity for collaboration among members of the community. From graffiti artists, to city police, to students and to children," she wrote.
Villanueva also noted how street arts can be a form of inspiration to the public, especially to younger people. "Murals create awareness about vandalism and turn something negative into positive. Through the collaboration of artists and community members, children can have role models to look up to and have the support they might not always get."
Both Verel and Villanueva and many graffiti artists intend to demonstrate their feelings through their work in a way that is valuable to the growth of individuals and society as a whole, rather than destructive, as how it was considered by many.