Graduate students in the NIU Museum Studies program will present an exhibition on graffiti in contemporary society, according to a NIU Museum Studies news release.

The event will be held from Nov. 7 to Nov. 17 in the Visual Arts Building, Gallery 214. It is free, open to the public and handicap accessible, according to NIU Museum Studies.

The exhibition is called Tagged: Exploring Modern Graffiti and it will investigate the pervasiveness of graffiti in the modern world. The exhibition will consider both the artistic merit and transgressive nature of graffiti, according to NIU Museum Studies.

According to NIU Museum Studies, graffiti defaces public and private property but its influences can be seen in advertising, merchandising and in prestigious art galleries. The exhibition will ask audiences if modern graffiti is a form of artistic expression or crime.

Visitors of the event may participate in creating their own graffiti on a free wall, according to NIU Museum Studies.

For more information on NIU’s museum studies program, visit: www.niu.edu/mstudies.