I remember being fascinated by 5 Pointz Aerosol Art Center, Inc. for the first time mid May 2013, passing the “graffitied” building on my way to a concert with all my friends. I was with a group of people and didn’t really know or care where we were when we passed the building, so I quickly forgot about it. However, before this school year even started I received an e-mail from my English professor with the class syllabus, outlining all our work and trips. Since the topic was graffiti in New York City, I instinctively looked up this “5 Pointz” being discussed in my syllabus, and was pleasantly surprised to see that we were going to see the building I was so fascinated by.

I’ve always had an appreciation for art that wasn’t so conventional; whether it was plainly strange, or portrayed an unusual meaning, or had an odd form. The graffiti at this site-specific “graffiti museum” contains all three of these criteria. Many people associate graffiti with a stigma similar to that of tattoos, understanding that it’s art yet still believing it’s unconventional and unnecessary. However, graffiti can be viewed in two ways – street art or vandalism. I believe there is a fine line between the two and that it’s up to the audience’s perception. 5 Pointz prides itself on the fact that only those specifically selected to display their art legally on the walls of this factory building can and that artists from many countries around the world have chosen to do so, believing their work is worthy of the building. Graffiti is also a type of art that can mean whatever you want it to mean, whether that is paying tribute to artists that have passed away or telling a story like my personal favorite artist, Esteban del Valle does with an image so iconic it remains the wallpaper on my phone weeks after seeing it. Graffiti also has a different approach in terms of its form. Paintings take place on a canvas and require the use of specific brushes, a variety all in one painting sometimes, while sculptures are usually made with a multitude of materials, sometimes involving precious rocks or metal and later placed in a specific place for a specific reason. With graffiti, the wall is your canvas and a fairly priced aerosol can is your tool. 

Despite how simple I made this sound, graffiti art is anything but that. These artists have sketches like any other artists and spend just as much time if not more than a painter or a sculptor, only without the luxury of being able to move their art or take it home to fix it. This, I believe, is the one reason graffiti is my favorite and most unique form of art. Graffiti artists, contrary to popular belief, don’t usually make art to make money, they make art for people to see it. The reason they are successful in doing so is because some people do appreciate it. 5 Pointz not only brings in curious teenagers or open minded adults who want to share this precious site, but rappers with an interest for this art and critics from all over the world. The array of different art adorning the outside parameters of the building adds life and vibrancy to a neighborhood otherwise covered with other forms of graffiti, such as tagging. The contrast is obvious and validates the idea that this site specific art IS art, and that it is a positive change for the neighborhood. Although not everyone, not every generation, may see the beauty and understand what this street art truly does for the community, I would never be surprised to come across dozens of people with awe on their faces visiting this area on any given day.

Unfortunately, this “graffiti Mecca”, as it is referred to according to its website, 5ptz.com, is being demolished and turned into two residential towers, whose architecture will surely be a form of art in itself, but not anything comparable to the unique and passionate street art.