Mural of Zelenskyy at Alliance for the Arts defaced for a second time

A mural that has stood in front of the Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers for the last couple of months has been vandalized again.

The paintings depicting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had paint spattered across them overnight Sunday.

Molly Deckard, Executive Director of the Alliance for the Arts, woke up to text messages about the damage early Monday morning.

“I’m sad. I feel like this is not a good representation of the community in Fort Myers,” Deckard said. “I’m upset by it. This piece of art is not representative of any political stance. It is merely a portrait of Zelenskyy. The name of the portraits, or the murals, is “Double Zelenskyy.”

Deckard said it’s also not the first time the mural has been defaced.

She said someone wrote on it and also put a mustache made out of electrical tape on Zelenskyy but they were able to remove it.

Deckard said that while they’ve received an overwhelming number of supportive phone calls, they have had a few calls that have been negative.

The latest damage will be more difficult to repair. “We have contacted both of the artists and the Fort Myers Mural Society who helped put this together with us, and yea, I think we are going to call Fort Myers Police Department and see what they have to say,” Deckard added.