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# IowaWatch Connection: Graffiti and Street Art
- URL: https://www.investigatemidwest.org/iowawatch-connection-graffiti-and-street-art-2/
- Published: 2015-06-15T13:58:16.000Z
- Updated: 2015-06-15T13:58:16.000Z
- Description: Is graffiti a form of vandalism...a form of art...or both at the same time? Graffiti has been transformed from simply writing a name on a wall, to a cultural phenomenon with competitive aspects.
- Author: Jeff Stein
- Tags: iowawatch, Uncategorized, art, graffiti, University of Iowa, vandalism, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-06-18 04:56

Is graffiti a form of vandalism…a form of art…or both at the same time? Graffiti has been transformed from simply writing a name on a wall, to a cultural phenomenon with competitive aspects.

“Part the impulse that drives graffiti is the desire to break the rules, but that doesn’t make it any less of an art form.It just means that the way it’s displayed is potentially breaking the law,” said Kembrew McLeod, University of Iowa communication studies professor.

“It’s important not to lose sight of the fact that graffiti is part of a larger cultural conversation, that it’s not just simply vandalism,” he said.

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