Street Art- Manhattan

Street is a part of the Manhattan landscape. That means graffiti tags, wall decals, store fronts, and stickers. 

Kips Bay, Manhattan

Nomad, Manhattan

Midtown, Manhattan

N Train, Union Square

Exit Through The Gift Shop 2010

Exit Through the Gift Shop 2010

This is a Banksy film. Although Banksy himself would have been a fascinating focal point, the scenes follow the story of Thierry Guetta. Thierry is a French immigrant obsessed with following and filming street artists. This film features contemporary artists, and does not delve into the history of the movement.

Length 1 Hour 27 Minutes

Trailer

Full Length- Available on Hulu Plus and Netflix

5 Pointz

Before NYC took down 5 Pointz, I got the chance to tour it with a camera. With each circle around the outside of the industrial building, more and more pieces would register with me. The quantity of pieces, and their variety, was overwhelming.

After walking around as much of the building as was possible, Meghan and I walked back to our train. We wanted to come back with more people. It was a sin to live in NYC for longer than two years and not make the trip out to Long Island City to see this place. There was a good Peruvian place right there, too.

When I heard about NYC turning 5 Pointz into a condominium, I was upset. I signed the petition, and reposted the campaign. A few months later, pictures surfaced of the now white-washed walls that used to be crammed with works of the world's greatest street artists. It was sad. It was the end of an incredibly alive and beautiful gallery.

Esteban del Valle

5 Pointz

This blog is a small way of preventing galleries like 5 Pointz from being scrubbed away. I'm passionate about it, because I like seeing street artists boldly and assertively pursue their craft.

Disappearing Paintings- Susan Farrell and Brett Webb

Collaborative, volunteer projects are the most effective way to document constantly disappearing paintings. Art Crimes collects interviews, articles, photographs, and shares information about events related to graffiti and street art.

Art Crimes, The Writing on the Wall 

Purpose

In many places, painting graffiti is illegal. We don't advocate breaking the law, but we think art belongs in public spaces and that more legal walls should be made available for this fascinating art form. Because it is so hard to get books published and to keep photos and blackbooks from being seized and destroyed, the Internet may be the best way to publish and preserve this information. Please get involved in the effort to preserve your local graffiti history.

Our main goals are to provide cultural and scholarly information and resources and to help preserve and document the constantly disappearing paintings. We also want to spread the truth that this kind of graffiti, called "writing" is being done by artists who call themselves "writers," not by gangs.