you wrote:
>Why is it better to litter our galeries with junk than our streets and
>walls?  I like graffiti as much as the next anthropolgogist and
>archaeologist, it tends to be a boring texture in the present, although it
>appears to have immediate and powerful possibilities for future
>interpretation.

The danger is not in judgement, it is in making an obvious crime
permissible.  Why should anyone be allowed to deface another's property?
What if it was your house? your car?  the window or wall of your business?
I can tell you that if it was mine I wouldn't be wondering whether or not
to call it art or analyzing it for its anthropological value, I'd be trying
to find out how to clean it off.  Even if it was an incredible masterpiece,
if the artist didn't have my permission to do it it's *wrong*.  It's not a
gray area, and I can't believe there's even any question about it.  It's no
different than the student who was throwing up on museum artworks as a
personal statement; it's wrong, illegal, and should be dealt with as such.
 If I'm a 28 year old curmudgeon for thinking this way, well so be it.
We've already lost too much in this country by not enforcing our laws with
quick and clear discipline.

Those towns and cities who are doing something proactive to try and curb
graffiti are way out ahead of the rest, in my opinion.  You can bet a lot
of those kids are just looking for attention and someone to listen to them,
and that sounds exactly like what some of these programs are providing.

Now please excuse me while I put my box of "Dial" back under my desk.

Bill

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William H. Stirrat  (Bill)
Evaluator/Market Researcher              ? !
Our Minnesota Science Hall                  o
Science Museum of Minnesota          /( )\
30 East 10th Street                                    /\
St. Paul, MN  55101
612/221-9442
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As always, opinions expressed are my own.
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Bye!