Graffiti art and the subculture that supports it is a form of graffiti that differs from gang graffiti, immediate graffiti, and street art. This research is a qualitative analysis using partial participant observation of a graffiti art subculture in a Midwestern city. Six themes which characterize this subculture were individual identity, communication, competition, criminality, aesthetic criteria, and changing forms of communication. The implications of the findings for labeling theory and differential association theories are discussed
