Walking through the tunnels and hidden alleys of Iowa City, once barren walls shimmer with vibrant graffiti. 

The walls speak in drunken messages left by people coming home from the bars. They bleed in corners with loud statements from the heart. They glow with lively poems, tags, and icons.

Among the most graffiti-covered areas in Iowa City’s west side is in a tunnel directly under the West Burlington Street bridge. A faded poem and a humorous pop culture reference decorate one corner of  the tunnel. 

The poem was left without an author’s credit and describes a scornful relationship. However, they state in the end, surviving the ex kept them from dying.

Iris Williams, a second-year University of Iowa student, has an interest in art therapy and projected what she learned onto the poem. 

“With examples like [the poem,] I feel someone is expressing a painful period of time. It might just be a good outlet to deal with what they’re going through,” she said. “Graffiti like that can be helpful to communities just to show them there are other people who might need help, too.”

The second piece of graffiti beside the poem is a hastily sprayed green message stating “always watching” with an Illuminati figure at the bottom. Without any context, the message is ominous. 

Ethan Wyatt, a third-year UI student, pointed out a stencil of John F. Kennedy above the Illuminati figure and said he believed the images built off each other, with each drawn by a different artist. 

This communicative quality between disparate anonymous artists in the community is a signature feature of graffiti. Functioning like a public diary over time, the meaning of these wall markings can change depending on what is added around them. 

Joseph Fullenkamp, a second-year UI student, said he believes there are limits to where graffiti can go. 

Through the alley beside Hazzard County Iowa City, little messages can be found scrawled on every inch. Many scribblings reflect a simple idea — “F— everyone!”

“I think an explicit message like that near a kids’ playground… I have certain feelings about [that.] But if you cover it, it’s just an alleyway. I’d be OK with that,” Fullenkamp said. 

The alleyway is just around the corner from the Pedestrain Mall playground outside the Iowa City Public Library. Children being exposed to less savory statements is not the only criticism Fullenkamp expressed, though.

“To an extent, there is a level of vandalism,” he said. “So, graffiti can definitely take away the purity of a building, wherever it may be.”

Williams disagreed with the criticism, explaining how painting over graffiti hurts the community. 

Though seemingly small to others, graffiti reveals layers once observed as a piece of art.

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“There might be a sense of oppression,” Williams said. “Censoring people can do damage. If your graffiti is getting painted over again and again, it can be painful. But also, I can see it depends on the graffiti.”

Indoor spaces are no exception to Iowa City’s graffiti scene. Zooming in on downtown’s interiors, it comes as no surprise bars are the most frequent recipients of graffiti, especially their bathrooms.

There are several explanations for this phenomenon. It could be chalked up to the rush of rebellion, the self-expression of the act, or simply the consequence of inebriated young adults with impaired decision-making skills, scribbling “Men ain’t s—!” on the wall with a Sharpie because the guy they were talking to made them mad.

In any case, the unique setting of a restroom allows for a private, less confrontational environment, easing the minds of anyone itching to express themselves. Graffiti often serves as an outlet for emotions, a cathartic means of or emotions, a cathartic means of processing emotions and thoughts creatively, no matter how coherent or emotionally stable they are at the time of the vandalistic act.

ReUnion Brewery is a staple of Iowa City nightlife and a popular bar among college students. It’s also home to graffiti-covered bathrooms and inked walls. Interestingly, there was little to no graffiti in the men’s restrooms, just the women’s

In the first and second floor women’s bathrooms, words written in permanent marker are scrawled on the wall, consisting mainly of sweet messages and names. Although the main method of this art form is ink, a message on the first floor women’s bathroom reads “you’re worth more,” carved into the wall, making it impossible to cover in paint or wash off. 

Jerzie Ash, a ReUnion employee for approximately a year and a half, said the bar typically paints over the graffiti once a month. Although select bars may wash off or conceal the art with paint, the workers at these establishments are unbothered by the messages. 

“They’re kind of just naming they were here, just making their mark,” Ash said. 

Whereas ReUnion generally represents what most Iowa City bar owners think about graffiti, a sharp turn is taken once you step into Gabe’s.

Gabe’s, named one of USA Today’s “Bars of the Year” for 2025, is known for its rich musical history, and is blanketed in multifarious graffiti. 

Owner Pete McCarthy has welcomed local graffiti artists to cover Gabe’s walls with artwork, resulting in several colorful murals, incredible spray paint designs, and a barrage of words and pictures.

On every wall, up the stairs, on pipes, electric boxes, tables, and pillars, the painted and inked graffiti is intentional and encouraged. All bathrooms are coated in base spray-painted words and messages inked out in marker by customers.

“I’m just trying to give people a place to show their artwork,” McCarthy said.

A while back, Michael Stenerson, a DJ and friend of McCarthy’s, asked if he could spray paint a wall. It became the first of many designs Stenerson painted. Other larger portions of graffiti were done by various art students, tattoo artists, and those with a special interest or talent in public art.

McCarthy said it’s relatively easy to differentiate between the customers’ work and the more professional-level work by taking a closer look at the media. Spray paint is usually done by those with more experience and time, whereas when a customer does it, it’s easy to tell. Often done with Sharpie, they draw a variety of scribbles and words. Whether a customer or someone with higher experience, McCarthy and his employees welcome any graffiti.

“It’s almost a staple in dive bars to see graffiti. If it’s not there, then I’m kind of just not interested in the bar,” Chris Winegarden, a Gabe’s bartender, said.

The second floor features a different form of graffiti — sticker bombing. It’s incredibly difficult to find a wall, bar, pillars, or door not layered in stickers, placed there by the performing bands and piling up since the‚ 1970s.

Winegarden said although all of the graffiti is meaningful, the sticker bombing stands out to him, especially when the bands come through and try to slap their sticker as high as they can to leave their mark.

From spontaneous Sharpie scribbles to elaborate murals, the graffiti found within Iowa City’s bars tells a story of expression — one that, much like the city itself, thrives on creativity, rebellion, and the need leave a trace of their voice.