Sadly, due to the pandemic there will be no Gardiner Day this year. The highlight of last year’s event was the creation of a mural on the wall of the handball court in Majestic Park, simply titled Gardiner and illustrating various attractions of the town. Designed by the eminent street artist Lady Pink, who relocated from New York City to Gardiner several years ago, it was painted with help from an enthusiastic gang of tiny Gardinerites. The plan was for this mural to stay up permanently, while the blank side of the wall would host a temporary mural each succeeding year, as long as someone volunteered a new idea.
Absent the street festival that normally takes place shortly after Labor Day weekend, the next phase of the mural project was carried out last weekend with little fanfare and but a whiff of controversy. The proposal for the 2020 flip-side mural came from a group of New Paltz High School students who were studying art during the spring semester with Todd Martin. In a series of remote meetings, about a dozen high schoolers brainstormed a design that addressed recent protests occurring across the nation.
“We talked about what we wanted it to be about,” said Nikola Salvestrini, 15, as she wrapped up her work on the mural on Saturday afternoon. “It was June, the Black Lives Matter riots were going on, plus it was the end of Pride Month. We wanted it to deal with discrimination against the LGBTQ, black and Latinx communities.”
“The students wanted to make something that was relevant to current world issues,” art teacher Martin explained. “They came up with the idea of a group of peaceful protesters – not just human characters, but people of all different shapes and colors.” Indeed, the design includes lurid blue, green and purple faces alongside more natural brown and beige ones, plus an alien and some familiar cartoon characters: Studio Ghibli icon Totoro, Finn from Adventure Time, Patrick the starfish from Sponge Bob. All the characters stood around the periphery of the rectangle holding protest signs – and therein lay the controversy.
While the image overall is vibrant and upbeat, some of the messages conveyed on the signs made some town officials uneasy when they reviewed the proposal for the mural at the August 11 town-board meeting. “I got a call from a resident who said that it didn’t represent their Gardiner,” said supervisor Marybeth Majestic. She pointed out several slogans related to police brutality, including “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” and “I Can’t Breathe,” as examples of sentiments that would not be supported by all Gardinerites.
Councilman Franco Carucci acknowledged that such harsh slogans might upset parents who bring very small children to the park, and noted that the town doesn’t even have its own police department in need of reform. Nonetheless, he said, “I’m okay with it as is …. Art is meant to make us a little uncomfortable, to think outside the box.”
“I do not think the town board of the Town of Gardiner has the responsibility to make some of its residents uncomfortable. Our job is to change things to make things better,” countered councilman Warren Wiegand. What slogans had he found objectionable? Wiegand cited “Silence Is Violence,” “Justice Now,” “Fund My Education” and “Racism Is a Public-Health Emergency,” in addition to those previously mentioned by the supervisor.
Majestic suggested that the town could officially distance itself from the political positions expressed by asking the artists to include a disclaimer on the bottom of the mural, crediting the high school students with the design. She said that she would ask the students to amend some of the wording after considering the board’s qualms.
“I told the kids about that, and they weren’t feeling it,” Lady Pink said drily as the first day of painting was winding down. “I let the students choose the themes. This is what they chose – plus some stuff that was even stronger, but was left out. I am not the judge of what is right and wrong in activism. I’m thrilled that they’re filled with empathy, which is a healthy feeling.”
With regard to the concern that the references to violence might be strong stuff for the youngest park users, Lady Pink framed it as a teachable moment for families. “The truth is scary for little children. They’re going to ask uncomfortable questions. It’s a great conversation-starter for explaining it to little kids. Like the sign says, ‘Silence Is Violence.’”
The artist noted that, while the town had loaned the use of the handball wall to the artists, it wasn’t supplying a budget for the project. “If they were funding this, then they would have a lot of say.” Pink’s ongoing art education projects are primarily funded by a grant from the Martin Wong Foundation.
Supervisor Majestic showed up on Sunday to view the work-in-progress and to discuss possible changes in wording. The artists stood their ground and completed the mural just as they had planned. The only change they made was the addition of the suggested “disclaimer,” in tiny letters:
“Artwork and views as expressed by students of New Paltz High School, 2020,” it read.
Gardiner endorses BLM
On August 3, about 200 residents turned out for the March in Solidarity for Black Lives organized by Move Forward NY, marching from the Gardiner town hall to the pavilion in Majestic Park. During the peaceful protest, organizers collected signatures on a petition asking the town to endorse the premise that Black Lives Matter and to take action to make the town a more welcoming place to people of color.
At the August 11 virtual town-board meeting, members voted to endorse the principles recommended by both the organizers of the March and the Gardiner Democratic Committee. After the usual series of Whereases, the resolution originally stated that the board “denounces systemic violence and racism, affirms that Black Lives Matter and reaffirms that Gardiner is an inclusive and welcoming community.”
In their discussion, the officials acknowledged the need to make practical changes at the municipal level, particularly with regard to expanding the availability of affordable housing in a town with an overwhelmingly white population. “Just having good sentiments and passing a resolution is not enough,” said David Dukler.
“We really need tangible actions,” Warren Wiegand agreed.
Councilwoman Laura Walls challenged her colleagues to make the wording of the resolution less aspirational and more specific. Her suggested text replacing the last line was unanimously adopted: “The Town of Gardiner commits to actions necessary to create meaningful and measurable change.”
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