This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Anti-Graffiti Task Force Tackles First Project

Local artists and volunteers begin work on large mural in Farmingville.

Children, teens and adults are helping to reduce graffiti and beautify their surroundings by joining the Town of Brookhaven .

Last week work began on their first project, a large artistic mural adorning the west side of the building in Farmingville.  The venture will continue on consecutive Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. until completion.

"We're expecting a few more people next weekend," said the project's head artist, Farmingville resident Jaime Aqueron, 34. We're off to a great start. We're hoping to build a portfolio with this event, and get more walls done in the Town of Brookhaven. This is part of a bigger thing, anti-graffiti, not only painting, but cleaning walls."

Find out what's happening in Sachemwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The substitute teacher in Sachem is actually hoping to enlist graffiti artists.

"A lot of those people are just looking to create.  The more the merrier," said Aqueron.

Find out what's happening in Sachemwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

He hopes this will lead to even more ambitious art projects such as sculptures and installations to "give an identity to the town."

"I joined Farmingville Rocks.  It was my idea to do murals.  It just so happened they developed the Anti-Graffiti Task Force, and were looking for artists to spearhead it," Aqueron explained.  "I volunteered, and we've recruited artists along the way."

The mural will cover the two main panels of the wall, and feature a series of five six-foot by nine-foot depictions including:  The Terry House and Bald Hill's historic schoolhouse, representing what makes Farmingville unique; an image of a circle of hands, symbolizing unity and the town working together; and action pictures of lacrosse, bicycling and soccer.

Poet Lauren Sartor will be coming up with apt sentiments to go under each image.

This undertaking stems from a meeting that took place about a year ago between Farmingville residents Marisa Pizza and Jennifer Ross and Councilwoman Connie Kepert.

Pizza recalled, "I said there's a lot of graffiti around.  What can we do?"

Kepert told the concerned citizens about an Anti-Graffiti Task Force that had been active in Brookhaven in the '90s, and decided to bring it back.

"By , and by painting murals there's less chance of graffiti recurring," informed Pizza.  "I handled the murals as an aspect to offer to landlords who want to get rid of graffiti."

Kepert was on hand to witness this result of her decision.

"[Graffiti] is a big problem in the town of Brookhaven," said Kepert.

The councilwoman lauded Farmingville as a "model for other communities" due to its vision and civic-mindedness.

"It's one of [graffiti] taggers unwritten rules that they won't damage something; that's the intent of painting.  Once it's painted, the graffiti people won't touch it out of respect ... So see if it works," said Tom Talbot, chairman of the Keep Brookhaven Beautiful Committee.

For Aqueron, it's about being proactive, and embodying the changes one wishes to see in the world.

"We're trying to do more, and talk a little bit less.  So, this is the main key of this:  Action — community action."

Email fly1632@aol.com to signup.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?