Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

To say that Featherstone Center for the Arts is a very special place is not enough to describe what it means to so many people. Every time I drive up the hill, past the cow pasture, under the arching branches of the magnificent old trees, passing the labyrinth, the outdoor kiln, the memorial garden and the whimsical works of art that are scattered around the grounds, my spirit brightens and I feel more alive in anticipation of yet another enlightening, enriching and enjoyable experience at a place where “the arts are alive.”

The people at Featherstone are the keepers of the art that surrounds them, and they take this job quite seriously. Works of art are labors of love, they are the legacies of the artists that made them — in some minds these works are like the children of the artist, and the keeper of the art takes the role of foster parent.

Last week, sadly, one of those legacies came to an end. A beautiful stone sculpture, a one-of-a-kind creation by the artist David Brown, met its demise during the Musical Monday event. It was a beautiful night, the crowd was happy, children were running free all over the grounds and the music was great.

Life is full of opposing views and people are not all of the same mind. While some folks complained about the $10 admission fee for adults (children under 14 enter for free), another family that has come to Musical Mondays for 17 years left a check for $1,000 in appreciation of their good times at Featherstone.

So it goes that some people respected, appreciated and were grateful for the opportunity to have a great time at a bargain price; others saw it as a chance to let their children go unsupervised, to do whatever they please, which unfortunately included destroying a sculpture that stood unharmed for many years. This sculpture had survived through countless threats over the years of its life, including three or four hurricanes, but it still stood with its rock-solid strength through it all — until last Monday night.

Toward the end of the evening, as the crowd was winding down and the band was winding up playing the final song, there was a crashing sound loud enough to be heard over the music. A group of children — some said two girls, some said three boys — had knocked over the stone sculpture, and then had run away. It seems this had to have been a deliberate act, as hurricanes before them had not been able to render a fatal blow. Since all hurricanes have names, what is the name of this one? We will probably never know.

For 17 years, Featherstone has been a venue where individuals and families alike come to share the love of art, have a great time, meet up with friends, eat, dance, run free on the grounds, and all of this for a bargain price. Wouldn’t it be sad if this wonderful place got ruined?

This incident leaves me with a deep concern that I feel obliged to share: is this “other erosion” more dangerous to our Island than the one we read about on the front pages so often? Isn’t the erosion of our respect, courtesy, manners, gratitude and accountability something that we should address? Do we no longer know the difference between right and wrong? Do we care? Do we own responsibility for our actions, and those of our children, or do we not? Don’t we need to protect this Island from both kinds or erosion before it’s too late?

“The arts are alive at Featherstone.” Well, almost all of them are.

Amy Custis, Vineyard Haven