“What if you took a can of spray paint and used it over a big wall mural? There… blew your mind, didn’t I? It’s not art… graffiti defaces whatever the rightful owners wanted there. If these “artists” really want to be artists, then buy a canvas and paint there.”

first point i would like to make is that most street artist do not mess with murals because it is someone else’s art on their own wall. just for the record http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08128/879613-294.stm read that do you consider this kid a street artist by using a more real deterrent’s than what cops arresting people and fining people will ever do. given yes itr is his building but it is still the same concept that business owners should take into mind.

as for a more formal solution the city should re open the legal wall for those of you who dont know there used to be a legal wall right on the bike trail which is now considered illegal. they should change it back to being legal and moniter the kids who come in there and watch the names they use and the styles they paint.

as for the comments about people buying a canvas WE DO notice that i say we i am a artist i dont go running around the city doing any illegal acts anymore but if the opportunity comes where i can paint a building legally i will. im sick of ranting goodnight

And there are people inviting “street art” in the South Side – street art can be seen on MIB Ninja Entertainment and inside O’Leary’s Restaurant.

It can be beautiful and interesting and complicated. It can be stupid sh*t and offensive. Yes, it should be prosecuted, but isn’t it cheaper to put up some walls than to track down, investigate, prosecute, trial, and incarcerate these kids? If we can reduce illegal graffiti as a city in a cheap way, shouldn’t we? How could graffiti make an abandoned building with broken windows and a sagging roof that should be torn down look any worse?? If a kid just wants an outlet, give it to him or her. If a kid just wants to break the law, throw the book at him or her.

Thanks, Lawrence, for attempting to throw some balance into this witch hunt.

You are correct … actually I should have said “many”

PS- (Eileen: There’s a solution:
Have a list of properties that owners are willing have these so called artists do their thing.
Wonder how many takers they would get?)
-True!!!!!
Good night.

Graffiti is an actual internationally recognized art form, tagging and vandalizing is not.

You made the statement:

Lawrence, I have a theory that the true “street artist” doesn’t have anywhere to go because, by and large, people don’t want to see that.

If people were clamoring to see “street art,” that fact would be recognized and galleries would be opening their doors wide, all in the name of drawing a crowd/making a buck.

When it is being seen allot of places other than Pittsburgh, and by a large number of people.

So … three things:
1. You implied that art was only about making money with the second part of your statement ….. not so. You produce art because you love it. You also implied that a true “street artist” is only one that vandalizes …. not true.
2. I was making a point that Pittsburgh tends to resist change … no matter what it is or how many people have accepted it. This is why people outside of Pittsburgh still think we are “The Smoky City” and a “Steel Town”.
3. I don’t support vandals, but I do support artists (whether I personally like their work or not). Which means if you vandalize someone’s property – not matter in what way, you should pay the price.

Someone that vandalizes is not what I consider a graffiti artist …… a true graffiti artist does not vandalize.

There are things that get venues in Pittsburgh that I definitely don’t agree with, but I won’t tell someone to not give them a venue.

So …. was I implying that Pittsburgh needed to move forward – yes. Allot of people only come to Pittsburgh for an education, get tired of it, leave for somewhere more progressive, and what they acquired in Pittsburgh doesn’t benefit the city for the long run.

For those that mistakenly think I support vandals …. in no way do I …. and in no way did I mean to imply “we deserve what we get”.