A piece of community art in a hardscrabble part of Troy is bringing residents together to share messages promoting peace.
This fall it was hard to miss the Beacon, an interactive community art sculpture adorned with white pieces of paper tacked onto wire paneling that stood out amid the historic houses on a corner lot. The project has since been moved to the Arts Center of the Capital Region in the City’s downtown, but artist Deyva Arthur says there’s still a lot to learn.
Arthur, a longtime resident of Lansingburgh, says the community art project is a reminder of the violence the community has faced. She says the project is a way to allow the community to heal.
“All those people putting good vibes and good thoughts out there, I feel, does something,” Arthur said.
The installation stands sentry at 271 5th Ave. That’s the site of the former home of Vanessa Milligan, a 19-year-old who was killed a decade ago by 18-year-old Gabriel Vega, with whom she was expecting a child.
Arthur says the wooden structure serves as a way for the community to share their message. With more than 1,000 messages, Arthur says she hopes fellow community members are taking in messages reading “be kind,” “love yourself,” and “you’re not alone.”
Arthur photographs memorials across the city, hoping to preserve memories of the deceased.
“Having studied them, they're not about loss and grief,” Arthur said. “They are really about how much they love the person, and they're almost like little parties for that person with balloons and alcohol, you know, bottles of alcohol and little trinkets and little gifts and teddy bears, and they're really in and of themselves, they're not sad. Yeah, they're and I've learned a lot from that.”
Arthur brought the project to Lansingburgh High School, allowing students to add their messages of hope. Arthur says its purpose for youth is twofold.
“Promoting kindness, but I think giving people a voice is also being able to, I kind of know if a little bit about mental health and how to navigate that,” Arthur said. “And you know, being able to communicate what's inside you is important, and a lot of these messages are from people who don't typically get a voice and also don't get the opportunity to give because they don't have much to give.”
First-term Troy Mayor Carmella Mantello has promoted improvements to youth community programs meant to support kids and keep them off of the streets. The Republican says it all starts with education.
“Gangs are not the answer. Quick money is not the answer,” Mantello said. “And the more that we can get build that partnership, the better it's going to be in our neighborhoods when we continue trying to revitalize and make our neighborhoods safer.”
Since taking office a year ago, Mantello has brought on the city’s first Director of Diversity, Opportunity, and Outreach, Kevin Pryor. Pryor, founder of Troy Look Inc., a non -profit that organizes and sponsors community events, says his program allows students to be creative and gives them an outlet.
“We have got 40 young people summer jobs that wouldn't have summer jobs from North Central Troy, from Lansingburgh, from South Troy. And now, at this point, we have 60 plus young people hired through Rensselaer County over the school year,” Pryor said. “Now it's amazing, because now we're taking the kids out of these negative groups and putting them in positive groups where they're making their own decisions.”
Mantello says while she recognizes that community art and initiatives can’t drive down violent crime alone, it is still important to foster a community that uses them to its advantage.
“It's not going to be the beacon to save our city. It's going to be the Beacon. It's going to be Troy Look Inc., it's going to be the Boys and Girls Club, Lansingburgh, Troy. It's going to be Teamhero, government, all of us,” Mantello said. “School districts working together to build our neighborhoods and to continue keeping our youth active.
Reached for comment, assistant Chief of Police Steven Barker issued a statement saying such programming is necessary and adding officers engage with young people on a daily basis in hopes of building relationships.