From the Gotham Gazette a part of an article about graffiti and street art. For those who really don’t know what’s going on

One Person’s Vandalism Is Another One’s Art

Some call it a menace and an eyesore; others consider it an expression of their first amendment rights. Some of it has deep political meaning, while some is a word or two scribbled in permanent marker. And it can be found all over the city: on rooftops, bridges, the walls of dilapidated buildings.

Graffiti and street art have been highly controversial forms of expression in New York for decades, disdained by art snobs and building superintendents alike. The people who disparage it the most, however, are the city officials who clash with artists and taggers over their creations. Interestingly, this battle has done nothing to diminish street art’s popularity. And now, some experts say, that popularity could do what city official couldn’t: threaten the very essence of this ephemeral work.

What exactly are street art and graffiti? For the graffiti artist, the goal is to “tag” the most places. Extra respect goes to those who manage to emblazon their trademarks on hard-to-reach spots, like billboards and the tops of high buildings. “If there are two graffiti artists, they will compete for fame. They might never meet, but they compete because they see each others names so much,” said graffiti artist BG 183 of Tats Cru, a group of Bronx-based professional muralists.

Street art, on the other hand, usually has a political or social message and aims to encourage the viewer to think. Although like graffiti, street art is usually illegal, many consider it an alternative art form, valuable to the community at large.

“Street art will only hit certain areas - rich areas– next to museums or galleries where people with money will see and notice it. They don’t go to tunnels, or the side of a highway. They won’t risk getting caught,” said BG 183.
“Graffiti is used in the broader sense, and street art is sometimes classified as a subset of graffiti,” said Dave Combs, co-creator of the street art “Peel Magazine.” But, he continued, “some people who do graffiti have an element of their motive being destruction or vandalism. For the most part, people who do street art do it to create something new and meaningful and beautiful for the person viewing it.” […][…]

Into the Mainstream

While the city’s effort to combat street continue, its acceptance seems to be growing in the cultural world — perhaps to the detriment of “real street art. As its acceptance has grown, so has its proliferation. There are books about the topic, and it is the main focus of magazines like “Overspray” and “Peel Magazine.” Blogs, like The Wooster Collective and Streetsy display daily photos of street art from places all over the world. Some artists have stopped limiting themselves using the streets as a canvas and begun using actual canvases, which then sell in galleries for thousands of dollars. Artists, such as Swoon, have been featured in world-renowned museums like the Museum of Modern Art and the Brooklyn Museum.

Certain major companies even commission graffiti artists to do advertisements for them. Tats Cru has been commissioned by several name-brand companies, including Snapple and Nike, to create advertisements. One of the artists, BG 183, stated “For us, the way I look at it, we’re getting our name where regular artists can’t go. We’ve been [featured] in museums, given lectures in college and traveled the world because of what we do. I can teach other graffiti artists, but I don’t have to get caught and arrested. How many people can say that they’re graffiti artists and make money from it?”

James Cade (professionally known as James Top), a former graffiti artist, currently teaches a 19 -week seminar at Hostos Community College in the Bronx entitled “Graffiti: The Art of Hip Hop.” While many students were excited at the prospect of learning more about the taboo art form, Councilmember Peter Vallone claimed such a class would encourage vandalism. Vallone, a leading opponent of graffiti, has introduced various bills concerning street crime and vandalism, including one to double the penalties for anyone convicted of graffiti. Nonetheless, the class proceeded.[…]