Library Honors The Contributions Of 2 Iconic New Rochelle Women

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Organizers didn't have to look very far to find iconic role models to celebrate this month.

The New Rochelle Public Library announced that it is celebrating Women’s History Month by honoring the legacies of Karen S. Allen and Elizabeth Huntington Coley Fox, two artists from New Rochelle.

On Saturday, March 4, at 3:30 p.m., "Karen S. Allen: A Performance and Memorial Celebration" will take place in the Ossie Davis Theater at the New Rochelle Public Library.

Allen (1940-2020) was a long-time supporter and steadfast volunteer at the library. As a volunteer, she worked to improve the local history collections of the library and was an expert in acquiring unique items relating to the New Rochelle community for the library’s archive. Allen donated numerous collections to the NRPL Archive, including the Karen S. Allen Papers.

She was an author and amateur historian as well as a co-founder of Tutti Bravi Productions, Inc., a not-for-profit organization dedicated to honoring the history of Westchester through theatrical productions. Allen's interest in music and local history led to the creation of an original opera about one of the great figures in New Rochelle history, acclaimed soprano Ellabelle Davis. The opera, The Gentle Lark of New Rochelle: Celebrating the Life of Ellabelle Davis, debuted at the Ossie Davis Theater of the New Rochelle Public Library in 2007. She was also the author of the book Lo! Here the Gentle Lark (2016), a biographical account of the life of Ellabelle Davis.

The memorial concert will present selections from opera, including the Tutti Bravi original production of The Gentle Lark of New Rochelle, as well as gospel, motown and other popular and classical favorites. This event will be performed by internationally acclaimed performer Audrey DuBois Harris who created the role of Ellabelle Davis in The Gentle Lark of New Rochelle, accompanied by pianist Douglas Martin. Registration is requested and can be done here.

From March 19 to April 1, the New Rochelle Public Library will feature the artwork of Elizabeth Huntington Coley Fox in the Lumen Winter Gallery, along with artwork of her granddaughter Susan Mitrano and great-granddaughter Sarah Mitrano.

Fox (1895-1973) was an artist, school teacher and resident of New Rochelle from 1928 to 1947. As a life member of the Art Students League of New York and the New Rochelle Art Association, she created oil paintings and watercolors infused with a love of the natural world and guided by an intense but expressive spirituality. Fox was also a devoted patron of the library, which exhibited her artwork in the 1950s and 1960s.

Through this retrospective exhibit of three generations of accomplished artists, the focus on Fox will include a display of letters and memorabilia from her personal papers in the library’s archive.

On Sunday, March 26, at 2 p.m., NRPL Archivist David Rose will give an illustrated presentation of the life of Fox titled "Elizabeth Huntington Coley Fox: Sparks of Beauty, Shards of God." Her artwork, her philosophy of education, and her devotion to her family together provide a unique avenue of approach to understand the everyday life of women in New Rochelle during the twentieth century. Registration is requested and can be done here.

"With more than fifty collections covering over 300 years of history, the NRPL Archive is a treasure for historians, students and the community at large," Rose said. "We are grateful to Karen S. Allen for the collections she gifted to the Archive, and to Susan Mitrano for the donation of her grandmother’s papers. These donations, along with records and memorabilia from all donors, help us keep the Archive growing."

In addition, the library, in collaboration with the Zonta Club of New Rochelle, will present three films featuring extraordinary women and their accomplishments. Zonta Club is a global organization of professionals whose mission is to build a better world for women and girls through service and advocacy. Discussion and Q & A will follow each screening. The series will include Wonder Woman (2012) on March 16, Sisters Rising on March 23 and Councilwoman on March 30. Films will begin at 6 p.m. Registration is requested and can be done here. Find the date you’d like to register, click and proceed with registration. You can alternatively call the library at 914-813-3706.

All programs are free and open to the public. They will take place at the New Rochelle Public Library, located at 1 Library Plaza in New Rochelle.

Find out more about the New Rochelle Public Library on their website. You can also follow the library on Facebook @NRPublicLibrary and Instagram @n.r.p.l.