Friday morning, when Monica Campana first learned that a few disgruntled activists had slapped gray paint over a sprawling mural in southwest Atlanta, she was ready to leave town.
By Friday afternoon, when dozens of residents from the surrounding neighborhoods showed up with sponges and dishwashing liquid to save the University Avenue mural, Campana said she remembered why she calls Atlanta home.
“I was really discouraged earlier today,” said Campana, director of the nonprofit Living Walls Conference, which commissioned the abstract painting by French artist Pierre Roti.
“I was like, ‘Why are we doing this? What’s the point?” she said, referencing another mural, at the intersection of McDonough Boulevard and Sawtell Avenue, picturing a woman in various state of undress that was eventually painted over after some residents complained about the nudity.
But the latest incident came with no warning. Residents from the neighboring Pittsburgh community, led by former state legislator Douglas Dean, made the decision on their own.
Current state Rep. Ralph Long, a Sylvan Hills Democrat, heard about Dean’s plans on Facebook but said he couldn’t believe the veteran activist actually went through with it.
“I want someone to go to jail for this,” Long said. “It’s vandalism, plain and simple.”
But Dean and his cohorts weren’t arrested or charged.
Atlanta police spokesman Gregory Lyon said Dean’s group told officers they were given permission to paint over the mural.
“Both parties agreed to bring the matter to the community board and city permit department for resolution,” Lyon said.
Dean did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but in a conversation videotaped by Long and posted on YouTube, he made no mention to receiving permission to paint over the mural.
“We don’t have to have any authority. This is part of the Pittsburgh community,” Dean told Long. “I don’t have a permit. I didn’t try to get a permit.”
Fortunately for art lovers, Dean and his group used cheap paint.
“It’s great to see people who care enough to come out and try to save this,” said Paige Stevens, 32. The Adair Park resident was among the volunteers scrubbing the gray paint off Roti’s canvas, and by lunchtime, there were already signs of progress.
Soon after, state Department of Transportation workers — armed with pressure washers — joined the effort, leaving Campana confident the mural would be restored.
The Living Walls director said she hopes the incident won’t dissuade other artists from participating in the project, which tries to bring art to blighted areas.
“You can’t just paint over something just because you don’t like it,” she said.
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