A painted town

Where only first names appear, names have been changed to protect the identities of the sources.

The scene was cinematic. It was the 4th of July, and while others were commemorating the independence of the nation, Jack, a senior, was standing on the rooftop of an abandoned building in downtown Washington, celebrating his latest artistic achievement. With the fireworks going off all around in the distance, it was a perfect end to an exhausting, dangerous night.

Gathering their spray cans and paint, and descending seven flights back down the rickety ladder running through the middle of the building, Jack and his friends escaped into the darkness. The next time they went out, it would be to a familiar place, a route saturated with graffiti that remains one of the hotspots of the local writing community.

The walls along the Metro's Red Line act as public canvases for graffiti, the cryptic calligraphy and intricate designs plastered under freeway overpasses and etched inside tunnels. Political messages like "Working People Unite" and "STRIKE" stretch across the back of a warehouse near the New York Avenue stop, while a few prominent tags - "PEAR," "ROES" and "COVER" - reappear every few yards, each time in a unique style. Looking out the subway window, the graffiti passes as a colorful blur, but when considered more closely, onlookers will find much more than streaks of spray paint and chalk, curse words and provocative slogans.

Graffiti is not easily defined. Derived from Greek, it simply means words or drawings scratched or scribbled on walls. Many consider it vandalism and distasteful. Yet others recognize it as an art form and means of self-expression, including several Blazers who are involved in the graffiti scene, whether they actively write or are simply interested observers.

A simple beauty

D.C. has always been a hub for graffiti activity that attracts widespread attention, according to Cory Stowers, art director at Words, Beats and Life, Inc. and instructor at the D.C. Urban Arts Academy, an initiative focused on promoting hip-hop and the arts. Surrounded by large suburban areas on either side, Stowers says, D.C. boasts a unique scene because graffiti can move in and out of the city. "Artists come from all over the greater metropolitan area and bring different ideas," he says. "It's not just one type of kid doing it."

On the back wall of an abandoned structure in northwest D.C., there is an illustration of a television depicting a woman saying "Free your mind." Rex Jarrett, a 2008 Blair graduate, finished the piece during his senior year and considers it maybe his best. Before that, in his underclassman years, he says he was simply experimenting and trying to find a tag, a specific name or alias under which graffiti artists post. A couple of his pieces were very personal, tributes to one of his close friends who was shot and killed his sophomore year. Jarrett is not alone in his tribute work. Perhaps the work most popularly associated with graffiti in D.C. in recent years is that by Borf - Corcoran College of Art student John Tsombikos, who was arrested in 2005. Tsombikos later explained his work as being an homage to a friend who committed suicide.

Just as it acts as the medium of choice for many to channel emotion after personal difficulties, graffiti also allows individuals to experiment with personal artistic ambitions. Alice, a senior, says she was drawn in by the artistic possibilities and the freedom to explore her identity. "People may not look at my tag and think of a girl from the suburbs wandering the city streets at night," Alice says. When she eventually developed a tag, however, she realized that it didn't matter where she was coming from, only that her art gives her a deeper sense of identity. Alice, who goes "painting" about once every two weeks, says that whether it is the big murals or small paintings in back alleys, there is "a simple beauty in the way you can take a can and do whatever you like with it."

Stowers says that most people who write are young, and get acquainted with graffiti through friends. "They have some intrinsic understanding of their surroundings that comes with illegal graffiti, but are willing to go out there to paint something in public," he says.

Jack finds the opportunity to publicly display his work as a major motivation. "Everyone rides the Metro, everyone sees it," he says. "Everyone," however, includes law enforcement as well, and as graffiti artists like Jack continue their endeavors, they must also deal with the tradeoff between the thrill of public exposure - and the legal ramifications.

Profile or portfolio

"A lot of it is purely about the adrenaline rush," Jack says, recalling close encounters with speeding subway freight cars. But the thrill factor is not always satisfying. Jarrett recalls that each time he went out, he was constantly paranoid that he would be caught. "It was just scary," he says. "The entire time you are thinking that the police are right behind you."

Jarrett acknowledges that graffiti can be vandalism and is certainly aware of the repercussions of breaking the law. He says that he never tagged on private property or in well-established areas where it could offend the people living in the community. "It is never done to hurt anyone, and I understand that if I deface someone's property, they have to pay out of their own pocket for my irresponsibility," he says.

Junior Ralph Moreno has always been attracted to graffiti. However, he realizes that it can be used in a harmful manner and believes it goes against his personal ethical standpoint. Moreno has never done any actual graffiti and says that there is a very fine line between using it in a positive and negative manner. "I'm not above the law and the risk involved is too great," he says.

Stowers says that the implications of illegal writing are severe, and says his program does not aim to create new graffiti works but instead offers a place for young people to learn about the medium in a comfortable environment, without having to worry about being prosecuted. Within this context, he says, there is a mutual understanding that graffiti is a culture of practice. "We try to find as many avenues - projects and initiatives - for those interested to participate," he says. Stowers specifically notes recent legal graffiti initiatives and says these are a result of municipalities feeling they can have a positive impact on youth. But he also says that this may be taking away something essential to graffiti culture at the same time - that by making it more controlled, it might be hurting the authenticity.

Dominic Painter, executive director of The Midnight Forum, an organization similar to Stowers' that promotes the arts in the local community, says that these initiatives are a perfect opportunity for those interested in graffiti to build their artistic resumes and do not detract from the culture's essence. In 2007, together with the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Painter spearheaded a city-wide legal graffiti program titled MuralsDC. He says such programs are far safer and advantageous options than turning to the street to showcase talent. "You can either get a police profile or a portfolio," he says.

An unchanged core

The push for more legal initiatives and more mainstream avenues might lead some to believe graffiti is expanding. Both Painter and Stowers, however, cite this as a misconception. Painter says that the trend from traditional name tagging to political messages seemingly reflects a reemergence of graffiti as a popular phenomenon. "It is not that graffiti is getting bigger," Painter says. "A lot has to do with changes in our society and a shift to a more political culture." Stowers says that newly incorporated styles of graffiti illustrate an evolution of the art form, but one that has not changed the core of the medium. "Certain types of public writing have evolved, some have stayed the same," he says. "Ultimately, graffiti is about a name - whether literally or through imagery - and the assertion that says ‘I was here.'"

Another 2008 Blair graduate, Noah Robinson, agrees that graffiti is not emerging as an art form. "In fact, it is almost fading out," he says. Robinson began writing in his sophomore year, citing his first time actually going out to paint as an unparalleled experience. He says that he stopped before he ever got "really good." Still, he remains an avid fan and somewhat active in the culture. "I don't consider myself a graffiti artist, just someone who does it, observes and really enjoys it," he says.

Jack says simply that graffiti is not always about "getting on some high horse, trying to awaken the people." He says that graffiti can be used effectively to voice an opinion. "But a lot of times there is the false idea that you can post a political message anywhere and consider it a revolutionary act," he says.

Though not an active graffitist, Moreno can often be seen sketching different designs in his free time, and he continues to believe that many who do graffiti have valid reasons. He says that certain pieces, especially the larger murals, mark a time in history, citing the recent Obama portraits as an example of work with significance that will endure. All these pieces, Stowers says, are connected in inherent value. "The aesthetic properties are different, but at the core, all are part of graffiti culture," he says.

Alice believes "[graffiti] is both political and artistic together - it's a form of public art and a powerful channel of expression," and says that the concept of graffiti as public art, as an experiment without boundaries, gives people exposure to different ideas. "Nothing is being forced upon anyone," she says.

And Jack understands that even as the debate between graffiti as vandalism and as art continues, one thing is almost certain: When people see a tag high up on a bridge or even, perhaps, on the rooftop of an old abandoned building, no matter if they think it a crime or a masterpiece they are all wondering, "How on earth do they get up there?"

"It's nice knowing that people can see your work," Jack says, "and that it stands out."

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