Our Mission:

To preserve freight-graffiti culture and provide a safe space for recovery.

The Graff Museum is a 501(c)3 organization accepting tax-deductible donations.

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Railcars enjoy a lifespan of 40 years by federal law, after which they go to scrap. Any artwork on them is lost forever. Ironically, many graffiti writers have a comparable life expectancy due to addiction and other behavioral health issues that plague this unique community.

The Graff Museum brings awareness to both the art and the issues surrounding this complex sub-culture.

Art:

The Graff Museum features original railroad freight graffiti harvested from decommissioned rail cars. As boxcars, hoppers and other rolling stock reach the end of their service life, the hulking steel carcasses are harvested for their metal components.

Freight train graffiti represents a purely American art form that is systematically buffed out, painted over or sent to scrap.

Through our relationships with various railroad-related companies, we harvest sections
of original graffiti-covered rail cars as they head for scrap. We strive to make contact with the original artists and let them know about our efforts to preserve the culture.

If you see your art among the museum collection, please get in touch with us and let us know.

Recovery:

As a give-back to the freight-graffiti community, The Graff Museum supports recovery efforts around addiction and related behavioral health issues.

The museum’s contributions focus first on bringing awareness to the addiction and mental health epidemic sweeping the country. The museum has also served as a safe place for support gatherings.

Through social entrepreneurship, we support artists as they try to realize the value in their work.

Ultimately, our not-for-profit entity will work with those in need to assist them in accessing professional help programs.

In the News:

News Channel 5 showed up to our Open House in December, 2022.