WESTHAMPTON — Westhampton community members recently discovered an unexpected change to a prominent mural in town, after an overnight visit from someone with the help of a little paint.
The sunflower mural, painted on one of the roads entering the town hall parking lot, is considered a symbol of positivity to residents. On the morning of Aug. 10, however, community members discovered a white peace sign painted in the heart of the mural.
The idea for the mural, which was originally painted by community organizers in October 2022, came from Westhampton resident Alice Jenkins, 19, as a way to show support for Ukraine after its invasion by Russia. Jenkins rallied community members and artists to come together and paint the sunflower, after receiving approval from the Select Board.
“We got a bunch of people together in the community and decided that it would sort of a good outlet for people who were trying to do something but felt helpless,” Jenkins said about the mural.
Jenkins had been planning to repaint the sunflower sometime soon since the painting’s vibrant coat faded significantly over the past three years. The recent change made to the mural prompted her to spring into action and repaint the flower before she leaves for college this fall. Since the damage to the mural was minimal and not considered to be derogatory, there will be no investigation from police.
“It gave us a little boost that we needed to repaint the flower,” Jenkins said about the change to the mural.
Jenkins felt motivated to paint the sunflower, the national symbol of Ukraine, since she had not seen something as devastating as the invasion of Ukraine in her lifetime.
“It was overwhelming and upsetting to see the invasion of a country striving to be a democratic nation …,” said Jenkins. “It was something we felt we couldn’t do anything about so it’s nice to see the revitalization of the flower three years later.”
The mural is considered to be a symbol of positivity for the town, according to Jenkins and other organizers. While it can mean peace for some people, it can have a different meaning to others.
“The best thing about it is that while to me it maybe means something towards supporting Ukraine, anyone who drives past it, it can mean something different to them,” said Jenkins.
Westhampton resident Olivia Jablonski praised Jenkins for being a young member of the community wanting to take action through the creation of the mural.
“I think it’s a great symbol for peace and our community, but it’s also a great symbol for youth,” said Jablonski.
“This has been, since I come up this hill all the time, a bright spot of peacefulness,” said Jenkins’ grandmother, Pat Miller, who was born in Westhampton in 1945. “The sunflower is a symbol of peace and getting along and I think that’s what the town of Westhampton is all about.”
Sam Ferland can be reached at sferland@gazettenet.com
