"The greatest city in America" is printed on a wooden bus bench, but what does that mean? 

When I first moved to Baltimore City I was amazed by a few things: the light rail, the gigantic trees interwoven in the city, the BRESCO Waste Incinerator (that I didn't know was an incinerator until a few months ago in 2022), and the graffiti. I noticed how certain areas were filled with graffiti to the point where I'd see layers of an artist's work. As I walked around Baltimore City, I saw the same tags around the city and got excited to seeing how it 'traveled' around to another part of the city. I also noticed how there were some areas with no graffiti at all. The back and forth of what is considered graffiti pushed me, along with a former friend's advice, to document Baltimore City's graffiti. 

Over the course of two years, I slowly documented the graffiti in Baltimore City. I explored the apparent difference between West Baltimore and East Baltimore art scene. I've seen how graffiti is gentrified and commercialized. I sadly watched graffiti pieces disappear to be replaced with a monotone wall filled with aesthetics appeasing to the general public. Shocked, but not surprised I witnessed the destruction of graffiti replaced with luxury apartments. 

The power behind photography and videos is represented through this dedication to Baltimore City's graffiti and artists. 

My favorite graffiti artist

Highlandtown

The artwork in Highlandtown is predominately murals and artwork dedicated to the immigrant and Indigenous communities in Highlandtown. However this doesn't discount the few graffiti pieces hidden in alleyways. 

Few of my favorite murals

Why this is important

There are always pieces of murals and graffiti lost through development. They destroy artwork without considering what is being lost. 

Impossible to capture everything

I can't possibly show you everything on this page. I invite you to look at the links I provided that go further into detail about Baltimore City's graffiti and murals.