Many graffiti artists (0writers1) lament that graffiti is dying, that the old values of originality and respect which kept it moving have been lost. This is not true. Its problems have simply evolved with the medium. Graffiti has becomelarger, and suffers from what might be called "cultural growing pains." In the early days, graffitists had to cope with scores of people asking "but is it art?" Nowadays, a glance through any collection of modern graffiti - such as Art Crimes - will establish certain graffiti as art to all but the most conservative observer. Much of his has to do with a worldwide boom in legally sanctioned spaces for graffiti art in the last ten years.
While some people do not consider any illegal graffiti to be art, few can argue with legally sanctioned work. Graffiti artists have pushed the spray can's technical possibilities to the point where they parallel those of the paintbrush. With its creative possibilities limitless, graffiti now has much more important questions to answer. What, specific to graffiti, makes a good piece? Beyond that, what responsibility does the artist have to the culture, and how does that tie in with making good work?