5 Pointz

This week I visited Five Pointz, a communal art space located in Long Island City, Queens. Five Pointz is a warehouse that has been converted into art studios and a public canvas for graffiti. Nearly every single part of 5 Pointz is covered in graffiti - from the walls to the roof, even the staircases. Even some of the vehicles parked outside of 5 Pointz are tagged. The work at 5 Pointz varies, from simple word tags, to elaborate murals and portraits.

5 Pointz is a safe space for graffiti artists to come and showcase their work. It gets its name from its open invitation to graffiti artists from all five boroughs to come and add to this ever evolving canvas, though artists now come from all over the world to make their mark at 5 Pointz.

While 5Pointz is an open canvas for graffiti artists, there are some rules. 5 Pointz is run by graffiti artist Meres, and those wishing to add to Five Pointz must first notify Meres and obtain a permit to paint there.

5 Pointz is not just a safe place to paint. The community of artists that are involved with 5 Pointz are working hard to change the city's view of graffiti. Many of the artists prefer to call their work "aerosol arts", and Meres even offers graffiti workshops on the weekends to young people, to teach them the basic fundamentals of street art. While this raises concerns among the anti-graffiti community, William Green, the head photographer for 5 Pointz, whose graffiti pseudonym is Nic, argues, "When I was a kid, I could have been robbing the liquor store and selling drugs, but I didn't. I was doing art. We are not here to save the world, but every day those kids are at 5 Pointz is another day they are off the streets." (From the article "All Roads Lead to 5 Pointz")


If you would like to visit 5 Pointz, you can take the E or V to 23 Street/Ely Avenue, the 7 to 45 Road/Court House Square or the G Court House Square. 5 Pointz is located at Jackson Avenue between Crane and Davis Streets.