To “Name Withheld,” who wrote that graffiti should be recognized as art (“Graffiti As Art,” City Weekly, Sept. 17), I couldn’t agree more. However, “graff art” shouldn’t be confused with the junk idiots paint randomly on walls. I’ve tried to feature graff art and believe artists who are dedicated to their craft should be given the respect and exposure they deserve. But remaining anonymous means that, even with stuff all over the city, there’s no central source to showcase the work or the artist. There are no Websites or networks to highlight work, especially before the city white washes it away. I fully understand the concept of remaining in the shadows out of fear of arrest and prosecution, but that shouldn’t include the media, because we don’t have to give your identity to law enforcement.
Even if it is only on the City Weekly Website, I’m willing to give those artists a forum for their work and an interview like I would any other artist in a gallery. But for many reasons (the two biggest being lack of trust and fear of police harassment), I rarely get a response back from graff artists, including those you listed. You can either take praise for your work or you can keep your anonymity, but you can’t do both.