We Were Hired to Clean Up a Vandalized (Graffiti) Seattle Art Exhibit
In early 2023, a public art exhibit in Seattle’s Chinatown–International District was vandalized with spray paint over the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend. The installation, which featured work by local artists displayed along neighborhood storefronts, was defaced overnight — an act that hit the community hard given the timing and the cultural significance of the artwork.
Local media covered the vandalism, including KING 5 News. Liang, a representative of the Chinatown–International District BIA, described the damage as “deeply disrespectful” and emphasized the need for quick action to restore the exhibit before the weekend programming.
Why We Were Called
We’ve been providing graffiti removal and cleaning services in the Chinatown–International District since 2018. The BIA already had us under a recurring service agreement, so when the vandalism was reported, we were contacted directly. Because we already knew the neighborhood, the surfaces, and the stakeholders involved, we could start planning removal immediately instead of doing a cold assessment.
That’s one of the advantages of a long-term maintenance relationship — response time isn’t just about availability, it’s about already understanding the site.
How We Approached the Cleanup
Art exhibits aren’t like cleaning graffiti off a dumpster or a concrete wall. The surfaces were mixed, painted panels, glass, metal frames, and some porous materials, and the goal was removing the spray paint without damaging the original artwork underneath.
We matched our removal method to each surface:
- Painted surfaces: Careful chemical application with controlled dwell time, followed by gentle removal. On sections where the paint couldn’t be fully extracted, we worked with color-matched touch-up to blend the restoration.
- Glass panels: Razor removal and non-scratch cleaning solutions to clear the spray paint without scratching or hazing the glass.
- Metal frames: Specialty graffiti cleaners designed for metal, applied with low-pressure rinsing to avoid surface damage.
The key was patience. Rushing graffiti removal on delicate surfaces leads to ghosting, shadow marks left behind that are almost as visible as the original tagging. We took the time to test each approach on small areas first before treating the full panels.
The Outcome
The exhibit was restored before the scheduled community programming resumed. The Wing Luke Museum, which had organized the installation, acknowledged the work done by the CID BIA’s sanitation contractor, us, in getting the artwork back to presentable condition under a tight deadline. It was exactly the kind of response that ongoing service relationships are built for.
Joseph Shoji Lachman, who was involved in the original exhibit coordination, noted that the quick response helped prevent the vandalism from overshadowing the event’s message.
Why This Matters Beyond One Incident
Graffiti in the Chinatown–International District and across Seattle’s commercial corridors isn’t a one-time problem — it’s ongoing. Quick removal is one of the most effective deterrents because visible graffiti attracts more graffiti. When tags stay up for days or weeks, the message to taggers is that nobody’s watching.
We’ve also found that combining graffiti removal with anti-graffiti coatings on high-target surfaces significantly reduces repeat incidents. The coating creates a barrier that makes future tags wipe off with basic cleaning instead of requiring chemical stripping or pressure washing. It’s an upfront investment that pays for itself after the second or third removal.
We remove graffiti for multiple Seattle BIAs and commercial properties on a recurring basis. For clients on maintenance agreements, response is typically same-day or next-day. The faster graffiti comes down, the less likely it is to come back.
If your property or district deals with recurring graffiti, contact us about a maintenance agreement that includes rapid-response removal.
