BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Grafitti is a big problem in Burlington. The city is trying to tackle the tagging of buildings and other surfaces, and community members last weekend took the solution into their own hands, painting a mural.
A fence on Elmwood Avenue in Burlington’s Old North End became a magnet for vandalism when it went up last summer. “It kept getting tagged over and over,” said artist Michael Nedell, who has lived in the neighborhood for 25 years. He says he decided to take matters into his own hands. “I thought that the tags were less than inspiring… I thought we could use a little brightening.”
Nedell went to Front Porch Forum and put out the call for other artists who might want to contribute. That’s when Amber Harvey, a teacher from Colchester, offered her time. “We’re all in this community so we should try our best to beautify it as much as we can,” Harvey said. She painted something bright — her sister’s favorite flower — all to inspire others. “Noticed a lot of kids walk from, you know, their homes to the school, and I thought that they needed something beautiful to look at, feel more inspired.”
Nedell asked his family and neighbors what would fit best in the area. They decided on a neighborhood mascot of sorts. “This is Butternut, the neighborhood cat,” he said, pointing to the new nural. Butternut is known around the block and frequently goes for walks with Nedell’s family, a sweet cat helping to capture the camaraderie of the Old North End.
“It makes the community feel alive when people are making some,” Nedell said. As for the tagging, Nedell says art is all about the creation. “sometimes you sell art, sometimes people tag over, and sometimes your sculpture crumbles… Hopefully, it’ll stay untagged for a while.”
The artists say if you see negative tagging in your community you can always reach out to property owners or the city to see if you can help beautify your space.