By Bill Parry
The old 5Pointz crew reunited this past weekend at August Martin High School in Jamaica, where they found plenty of walls for their aerosol street art and one giant cause. More than 100 artists came from as far as Texas and Japan and joined with a team of students, who came up with the idea, and painted their signature graffiti murals in hallways and stairwells as part of an effort to change the culture at the beleaguered school.
“Being able to use the power of art to inspire the youth is amazing and I know these kids that go here are looked at as disappointments because of their graduation rate,” 5Pointz creator Jonathan “Meres One” Cohen said. “I think it’s awesome that the Board of Ed is supporting us and consider this as art. Times have changed and you have to find new ways to motivate children. These students will have a treasure all their own.”
The school’s principal, Gillian Smith, explained that it was time to “think outside the box” at August Martin, considered to be an “out-of-time school” because of a lack of academic progress in recent years. The graduation rate has hovered at 39 percent in the last two years.
“It’s phenomenal for young people to have a dream and then have it come true at one of the worst and one of the biggest schools in New York City,” Smith said. “It makes me proud. This bridges the gap between art and education. The art alone will get them to school, they’ll want to be here.”
A group of 20 students came up with the project, called “Operation Skittles” after the hallways were painted white. A survey of 500 students found that they thought the white walls were depressing and needed to be changed to enhance the atmosphere.
The students walked the hallways, beaming with pride, as they greeted and thanked the artists while they painted. Each mural included a quote or an inspirational word. “It gives us a sense of hope and pride because people talk so much crap about August Martin,” 11th-grader Trivella Osborne said. “It’s going to change how they look at the school and students here are going to have so much pride coming here and saying ‘5Pointz did my school.’ Who else can say that?”
Syreeta Gates, a Dream Director with the non-profit Future Project, a national campaign to empower young people, contacted Meres One and curator Marie Cecil Flageul. “This alone might get students to school and create a sense of pride for their school that they didn’t have before,” Gates said. “I’m the only Dream Director in Queens and I grew up just a few blocks from here. I went to St. John’s Prep, but a lot of my friends went here and didn’t like it.”
Current students agreed.
“This is my fourth year here and I’ve heard so many bad things about August Martin,” 12th-grader Alexus DaCosta said. “I’m graduating in a month, so it’s great to see this for the younger kids. This will help a lot, everyone will want to be a part of the school and the Future Project.”
It’s been almost a year and a half since 5Pointz was whitewashed on the orders of owner Jerry Wolkoff, who demolished the world famous graffiti mecca last summer to make way for two residential towers in Long Island City. When Meres One put out the call to his old crew, over 100 volunteered their time and supplies to make it happen.
“We all knew about 5Pointz, especially what happened to them,” 11th-grader LaToya Mann said. “They lost their building and now they have us and that’s exciting.”
The project will be revealed to the public June 11 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and there will be an art auction to raise money for the school.
“This is not a hit-and-run,” Meres One said. “This is the beginning of a long-term relationship. We’re going to bring more artists around and work with the kids. I’m still blown away how this all turned out. I wish it happened at my high school. I wouldn’t have settled for a GED.”
When the weekend was over, there were more than 100 murals ready to greet August Martin’s students Monday morning.
“Taking a step back and looking at the school and reading the texts and emails from the artists, I’m just amazed at what we accomplished,” Cecil Flageul said. “I am proud to say that August Martin High School is now the coolest school in Queens, but it’s only the beginning.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr
