It’s no surprise that graffiti can be seen in one of two ways; street art, or vandalism. Everyone interprets it in a different way. Now obviously since spray painting curse words on a work building is not what most would consider art, laws have been established of where it is legal and illegal to do so. For example, Byron Bay (Australia) is known for their overwhelming amount of street art and murals. However, Byron Shire News indicates the graffiti is currently on lock down as the Council’s Public Art Panel created a new Draft Public Art Policy . This policy basically says they are now banning street art in mural form and only accepting art in sculpture form. Banning graffiti art raises much controversy because it is close minded to the fact that some people wish to express their art abilities through murals on walls for the public eye to see.
Similarly, Baltimore, MD holds laws against graffiti and murals on walls as it is considered vandalism. You can get up to three years in prison and receive a $2,500 fine for spray painting on basically every corner of the city. Except one. Graffiti Alley is the only place in Baltimore where graffiti is legal and encouraged. As a result of allowing one corner of the city to be “vandalized”, Graffiti Alley has turned into one of the best hotspots of Baltimore where many people go to take artsy pictures with colorful backgrounds.
Many local photographers will use this location as their setting due to the overwhelming amount of art that has been created on the walls by a plethora of people. In fact, when I was there for just a short time of 10 minutes or so, several people were out taking professional pictures, and three people were in the makings of creating more graffiti art. It is a place to express yourself and show off your art abilities without worrying about getting in trouble with the law.
When visiting Graffiti Alley, the colors were so vibrant that it creates a warm and welcoming environment. If you actually take the time to look at the paintings, it is so much easier to appreciate the work that went into it and the creative ideas behind it. Even just visiting the alley for a few minutes will open your mind to new ideas and get your creativity juices flowing. It is perfect for taking awesome pictures with such a fun background.
Before the alley was created with such amazing art work, the alley was known as one of the most dangerous alleys in Baltimore with many shootings and scandals. However, when graffiti became legal in this alley, the entire atmosphere completely changed and there has not been any recent crimes in the alley since. This just proves the power art has over people and places.
The best thing about the alley is that if you are planning a trip to walk around Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, Graffiti Alley is just 10 minutes out! The location of Graffiti Alley can be found on Google Maps here. The best way to describe the location is across from Baltimore’s Motel 6 and next to the United Sanitary. It’s a great spot to appreciate some free art and take perfect pictures.
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