5 Pointz

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Rear of the 5 Pointz building.

5 Pointz: The Insitute of Higher Burnin'^[1] is an industrial building in Long Island City, Queens, where graffiti has been allowed. John Roleke of About.com writes:^[2] "5 Pointz is a living collage of graffiti art covering a converted warehouse full of artist studios". 5 Pointz is known worldwide, and taggers or graffiti artists from all over the world have come there paint graffiti.^[3] 5 Pointz has been the subject of articles in newspapers such as The Christian Science Monitor,^[3] The Boston Globe,^[4] The New York Times,^[1] and the International Herald Tribune.^[5]

As The Christian Science Monitor puts it:^[3] "The Gatekeeper of New York's 'graffiti mecca' is Meres who decides who paints – and how long it stays." Jonathan Cohen, or "Meres," has been in charge of the 5 Pointz graffiti museum since 2002.^[3]

It is suggested to e-mail Cohen to get his permission before painting at 5 Pointz. If he is not familiar with an artist, Cohen will ask for a sample of their work; if it is a mural, he will ask for a layout as well.^[3]

The name "5 Pointz" represents the five boroughs of New York City.^[1] One of the first graffiti there was a portrait of Jam Master J, an important member of the early hip hop musical style.^{[citation needed]}