United Graffiti Artists (aka UGA) was an early American
graffiti artists collective, founded in 1972 by Hugo Martinez in
New York City.[1][2] UGA was the first organized group of writers, and the first to promote graffiti as a high art.[3][4][5] Martinez, then a student activist at
City College of New York, organized a group of teenagers who had been
tagging the subways [6] into a loose collective, formalizing their work and paving the way for commercialization.[7] In September 1973, UGA organized the first ever gallery show of graffiti at the Razor Gallery in
SoHo.[8][9][10]
According to authors Cori Anderson and Kevin Jackson, the artists of UGA elevated the profile of
graffiti, bringing it from the subways and the streets to art galleries and studios.[11][12] Henry Chalfant, a sculptor from New York City said "United Graffiti Artists (UGA) and Nation of Graffiti Artists (NOGA), marked the first attempts to organize and legitimize writers as artists."[13]
^Gottlieb, Lisa. (2008). Graffiti art styles : a classification system and theoretical analysis. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. pp. 38–39.
ISBN978-0-7864-3436-7.
OCLC228608106.
^Chalfant, H. 1992. “No One Is in Control.” Pp. 4-11 in Vandalism: Research, Prevention and Social Policy, edited by H. H. Chistensen , D. R. Johnson , and M. H. Brookes . Portland, OR: Department of Agriculture Forest Service.Christensen, H.H.; Johnson, D.R.; Brookes, M.H. (1992). Vandalism: research, prevention, and social policy (Report).
United States Forest Service.
doi:
10.2737/PNW-GTR-293.
hdl:2027/umn.31951d029749434.
S2CID158966695.