Where Graffiti Is Welcomed April 5, 2013

Across the East River from Manhattan, where PC TECH is located on Forty-Second Street, is the Queens neighborhood of Long Island City.  Near the center of this relatively peaceful section of the city is perhaps one of the most unusual art galleries in the world.

This institution’s name “5Pointz” refers to the five boroughs of New York City, the most populous city in the United States and a center of the various arts: painting, sculpture, music, dance, architecture, and more.  However, this “museum” is dedicated to the spray-can art known as graffiti.   As in many cities around the world, graffiti has been a quality-of-life annoyance, often a petty crime.  This style of street expression used to be prevalent all through New York.  However, police attention and security cameras have discouraged the unauthorized painting and tagging of just about any writable surface.

An abandoned warehouse in Long Island City is the “canvas” for actual graffiti artists from around the world to demonstrate their artistic talents.  There is no admission fee since there is no admission:  only the outsides of the walls are decorated.

This venue was never meant to be permanent.  In the near future, this building will be replaced by a multi-story residence.  Perhaps another lonely, unused building with large walls can be found somewhere in the five boroughs and spray-can artists can again showcase their work.

PC TECH: English Language School in New York City