DETAILS

Preservation Long Island and Preserve KPPC invite you to a Community Conversation on mental health, creative expression, and historic preservation. These programs encourage New Yorkers to share their thoughts, experiences, and foster community through mutual understanding. This discussion will revolve around a mural from King’s Park Psychiatric Center (KPPC) Building 93, attributed to author and cartoonist Percy Lee Crosby, who lived at KPPC from 1949 until his death in 1964. We’ll explore how the mural interprets the experience of being a resident at KPPC, art as a form of therapy, and the mural as a historic artifact. This event is open to all—community members, students, educators, activists, and anyone interested in how these artworks capture human experiences and reflect the community of KPPC. The event will take place at the Mills Pond House, a Greek Revival home built for William Wickham Mills in 1838–40. It is a rare surviving example of the small agricultural communities that once thrived on Long Island. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the house now serves as the Smithtown Township Arts Council's Mills Pond Gallery, which offers a space for creative expression and the exploration of contemporary art. Be sure to visit their current exhibit, Our Relationship to the Land, before our Community Conversation.