Graff City: New App Encourages Virtual Graffiti

Renee Power

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The San Francisco Arts Commission and the Department of Public Works are launching a street-art graffiti app that lets anyone paint, spray, tag, etc on the walls of our fair city. However, it's done through virtual, and thus legal, means.

It's part of an effort from their program, StreetSmARTS, which discourages graffiti vandalism, but also partners with private property owners and graffiti artists to turn perpetually tagged buildings into galleries of street art.

Their newest launch is the Graff City iApp -- an app designed pro bono by McCann Worldgroup -- which allows users to "write" on any building surface in the city using an iPhone.

The Arts Commission is hosting an event to celebrate StreetSmARTS' second anniversary and the launch of the app. Graffiti artists are set to duke it out near the S.F. Apple store using the app, which uses GPS and other technology to let others see the virtual tags on buildings near them.

The event takes place on Thursday, Dec. 1 at the Apple store at 1 Stockton St., from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

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