Yarn art taken down suddenly

Local volunteers crocheted and knitted these creations and “yarn bombed” Baldwin. They were mysteriously taken down two weeks later.

Courtesy Sara Hill

Justina Thompson, of the Baldwin Civic Association Youth Council, helped place a yarn creation.

Courtesy Sara Hill

Some decorative knitting on Merrick Road.

Courtesy Sara Hill

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Late last month, some vibrantly colored items of clothing were strewn across major Baldwin roadways, prompting residents to ask, “Why are those trees wearing sweaters?”

A group of about 10 women had spent months crocheting and knitting creations out of yarn to hang on trees and light poles, and they decorated Grand Avenue and Merrick Road with them. It’s an artistic display known as “yarn bombing” that has been seen across the country. Rita Cavanagh, who heads the Baldwin Civic Association Beautification Committee, and Aimee Pontrelli, the founder of Baldwin Life Stitches, led the local effort, and said it garnered mixed reviews from residents.

According to Cavanagh, the feedback was mostly positive, but there were some who did not like the display. “We figured it was a good deal, because it wasn’t going to cost anybody any money and it was temporary,” Cavanagh said. “So even if people hated it, it was temporary.”

About two weeks after the items were hung, however, nearly all of the 23 pieces were unceremoniously removed.

“Because it was our first time doing it,” Pontrelli said, “we didn’t think that there would be such negativity to the point that someone would not only take it down — I can see voicing an opinion about not liking it or understanding it … but to be so destructive — not only did they take it down, but they actually cut into the pieces that were worked on.”

Cavanagh had asked County Legislator Laura Curran for approval to place the yarn creations in the area, and was given the OK prior to moving forward with the project. All indications point to one person or a group taking them down and throwing them in nearby trash cans.

“I just don’t know why they were taken down,” Curran said. “I don’t understand what the motivation behind that was. Did the people not like them or was it kind of a prank?”

The yarn creations were hung using clips and wires, Cavanagh said, to make sure that trees weren’t harmed. That also made it easy to remove them, she added.

“Whoever did it was not only very negative about it,” Pontrelli said, “but they cut into the pieces.”

“It’s a mystery to me who took them down,” Curran said.