Smart Crew Tags the Ivies

Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and the University of Pennsylvania are together at last after New York-based graffiti artists Smart Crew unveiled their most recent masterpiece, a massive mural titled "Ivy League Vandals" that highlights the mascots and emblems of each school.

The artists at Smart Crew have been tagging together since 1997, but have never collaborated on a project thematically based on the prestigious alma maters of several members of the graffiti artist collective.

"Being known as the Smart Crew, we thought it would be relevant to use the theme of Ivy League schools. I don't think this concept has ever been used in a graffiti production, and we were inspired by the fact that we have members that have previously attended each Ivy League school," said a representative of Smart Crew who requested anonymity to avoid potential law enforcement action.

The piece went up about a month ago near JFK Airport in Queens, New York. After unveiling the mural, Smart Crew released photos on their website, an unusual move for the graffiti artist collective.

"We believe that graffiti has much more of an impact when seen in person before being seen on a computer screen. Every now and then, we will release some photos, but we would rather let the walls, trucks, and trains speak for themselves," the Smart Crew representative said.

Photo courtesy of Smart Crew.