When Graffiti Becomes Art, Does it Still Look Like Graffiti?

There's certainly no shortage of controversy around Shepard Fairey. Arrested the day his exhibition opened at the ICA, many wonder whether it was just a promotional stunt.

Another question, which has been less discussed, is now that his works have been publicly and critically accepted as legitimate art, would you want one in your neighborhood? That question came up recently, as one of the outdoor works that was placed by the ICA in conjunction with the exhibition resulted in a hearing with the South End Landmark Commission.

This work was placed on a residential townhouse with the permission of the owner. The South End is a very diverse neighborhood and one that has its own battles with graffiti on a daily basis. Does showing this work, as graffiti, promote art in the community or suggest that graffiti is acceptable?

The South End Landmark Commission voted 3-1 to allow this temporary art, so long as something is posted to indicate that the work is art (though, we note that this had not been done two weeks later).

The work is shown in the photo above. What do you think?