It will be a victory for public participation in decision making about the preservation of public art

As someone who is involved in an ongoing study of people’s reactions to, and feelings of ownership of, the public art in their neighborhood, I was pleased to read in Colin Moynihan’s article in the December 18, 2017 issue of The New York Times (“Newcomer’s Bricks Conceal Colorful Harlem Mural, to Leaders’ Dismay” ), that when a Footaction store covered over with a brick wall “Spirit of Harlem”, a mosaic on a building on the corner of 125th Street and Frederick Douglas Boulevard in Harlem, there was an outcry by the residents of the neighborhood, a petition to reverse this action, and a statement by the company that it would remove the wall. If the covering wall does come down, it will be a victory for public participation in decision making about the preservation of public art.