The art that was designed from these projects often portrayed the issues ordinary citizens faced from their day-to-day lives in a less monotonous way. Although the murals were created to add some character to an area, some still perceived it as an act of vandalizing public property.
The Mural Arts Program was formerly conceived as the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network established in 1984 that attempted to combat the city's prevailing street graffiti crisis. Conversely in the span of couple years, the organization was revamped to the Mural Arts Program. The nation's largest mural arts organization is devoted to a collective tool for generating dialogue, building relationships, empowering communities, and sparking economic revitalization. Graffiti during its crude stage was an outlet path for adolescents to get their adrenaline released in some manner that involved defying the law and public authority and also attempted to create a platform to display their name. Author Bernard Riebe summarizes the what graffiti means to its creators in her article, "Graffiti is, in my opinion, one of the last true remaining art forms, because it's an underground art form. It's what art, to me, should be about. It should be about your own self-expression, not about for the gratification of the public." (Riebe).
The organization soon gained popularity and support from many communities that appreciated its effort of providing ample opportunities for the youth to exhibit their artistic talents. It assisted many youth to engage themselves in beautifying their community rather than defaming it but mainly acted as a niche to divert them from self-destructing behaviors like drug abuse. The Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network formed in 1984 did a commendable job in arresting the growing problems about gang related graffiti. The (PAGN) mainly focused on replacing common vacant spaces in the public spots with mural arts which were pleasing to the eyes due to its richness in artistic display.