Brand new ‘Community Art Installation’ in Palm Springs neighborhood vandalized hours after being unveiled
Marconi Calindas, a local artist, was devastated after hearing the mural he had designed for a Palm Springs neighborhood was destroyed.
The mural was painted along the crosswalks at the intersection of Tramview Drive and Granada Avenue. The artwork was planned and approved by the Palm Springs Arts Commission, and was several years in the making. It was installed to beautify the area as well as improve the safety for pedestrians. The mural was installed on Sunday with the help of several community members and children.
"It's unbelievable," said Gary Armstrong, Chair of the Public Arts Commission. "It was a shock to the artist and the community, because the mural was finished Sunday at four o'clock, and by Monday morning at 7 a.m. it was already vandalized."
The mural's theme was diversity, unity and community. Several kids and families that live in the neighborhood helped paint the mural.
"We had high school and middle school kids that actually participated, and they were so excited,” said Calindas.
His husband Adam helped submit the proposal for the artwork to the city, and he too is heartbroken to see the mural vandalized.
"We wanted to make this a community project where young children could be involved to help paint it, so that they felt ownership of this," said Adam.
Now, the artists and the Public Arts Commission plan to clean up the graffiti and restore the artwork. They held a meeting on Tuesday night to discuss the next steps.
"We refuse to cede our power to something else," said Adam. "And we refuse to be intimidated by this. So they did what they did. We're going to clean it up. And not only that, but the community has volunteered to come and help us do this. We're going to repaint it, and we're going to cover it with a really good sealer this time so it will last for ten or more years."
News Channel Three's Tori King reached out to the Palm Springs Police Department, who said it is aware of the vandalism and has opened an investigation into the incident.
