Defaced Highland Park mural celebrating diversity set for costly repair

HIGHLAND PARK – Planning has begun to repair a Raritan Avenue mural celebrating the community's diversity that was defaced last week shortly after the artwork was completed.

"We're working out the logistics right now," said Dan Swern, coLAB Arts co-founder and producing director, adding the major concern, which he has discussed with borough officials, is the application of a clear coat finish over the mural once the acrylic paint has cured so any future markings can be easily removed.

"What we don't want to do is be in a position where we refresh the mural, we clean it up, we repair it and it still remains vulnerable to any future potential vandalism," Swern said.

He anticipates work will get underway in the next couple of weeks, if not sooner. Swern said the artist has already started work on her research.

"She's ready to tackle it directly," he said. "Once the community worked to repair itself, we're now starting to work on repairing the mural."

Mayor Gayle Brill Mittler met with the head of the Main Street Highland Park business district commission and the owner of the building, who has been extremely supportive through the whole process, about potentially installing a video camera, Swern said.

"That's the first deterrence piece that's in the ether," he said.

Brill Mittler was one of the speakers at an interfaith vigil Monday night condemning the graffiti that twice marred the "Home is Where We Make It" mural shortly after the art work had been completed. An impromptu rally was held at the mural a few days earlier.

Earlier: Highland Park "Home Is Where We Make It" mural defaced days after completion

"Highland Park isn't a perfect community. It's not even enough that it's a nice community. That certainly was made clear by the defacing of this mural. As mayor, I want to work to see our community aspire to the ideal that this mural so effortlessly projects. We must be a community that practices extreme hospitality. Highland Park must not only talk about antiracist policies but practice it throughout its government agencies and social life," the mayor said.

"The defacement of the mural is a tragedy, in so many ways. The potential for hate on the streets of Highland Park is still present," Brill Mittler said. "Work needs to be done that we aren't equipped to facilitate alone. We're committing to a public and transparent process for protecting our Black and racially minoritized residents who are subject to racial violence."

Thomas Santo, 54, of Highland Park has been charged with bias intimidation and criminal mischief in connection with vandalizing the mural, Highland Park police announced Thursday. m.

The mural depicts the borough's legacy of being a welcoming community and focuses on local refugee and asylee resettlement efforts over the last couple of years with portraits referencing three refugees. The work was designed and installed by muralist and artist Amrisa Niranjan.

The mural was produced by coLAB Arts and the Shelter Project in collaboration with Interfaith-RISE, D.I.R.E, and Black Community Watchline, with support from Main Street Highland Park and the Highland Park Arts Commission.

According to the coLab Arts website, while the mural was being installed Niranjan was racially harassed on three occasions. Then the mural, which was completed last week, was vandalized twice shortly thereafter. The letters "USA" and two Stars of David were spray painted over the portrait of young woman wearing a hijab. Niranjan's name on the mural also was obscured with spray paint.

Swern said the vandalism occurred so early in the paint's curing process that nothing could be done toward making repairs until the paint finished curing.

He said Niranjan is planning to return to Highland Park to make repairs as well as some additional beautification embellishments. The work will then have to cure for a few days before the clear coat is installed either by the borough Department of Public Works or a professional contractor which could cost $10,000, a cost that was not budgeted for.

Swern said the work involves maneuvering around a tree and air conditioning equipment. A boom lift was needed to install the mural.

He said what has been positive is community members wanting to be present to make sure the artist feels protected and to provide a stewardship to the mural as it cures when damage could happen before the clear coat is applied.

Swern said coLAB Arts has been doing this type of work in New Brunswick for six years without any similar destructive or traumatizing incidents to the artists or the community.

"Frankly we didn't have the logistics set up to protect the artist and to protect the work when we went into the community. When we realized what was happening, we were incredibly grateful that such a strong community response to be present, to volunteer themselves to be a deterrent between the artist and any potential harassment and we're seeing that continues now," Swern said.

Email: srussell@gannettnj.com

Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Highland Park NJ defaced mural celebrating diversity set for repair