Public Art Installation Enlivens Mount Vernon Public Library Facade

ArtsWestchester, in partnership with the Mount Vernon Public Library (MVPL) and with support from the New York State Assembly, the City of Mount Vernon and Westchester County, recently unveiled a new public art commission that has been four years in the making. Seeing the Wind, a site-specific work created by Brooklyn artist Rochelle Shicoff for the entrance of MVPL’s “Children’s Room,” provides an inviting entrance for visitors of the library, as well as a colorful addition for passersby to delight in. The work was chosen by a panel from more than 50 proposals.

CEO Janet T. Langsam notes: “New York State Assemblyman Gary Pretlow was instrumental in making our vision for the library a reality by securing a $50K grant through New York States’ Community Capital Assistance Program.”

Eleven 13-foot enamel-painted ‘totems’, which took Shicoff three-and-a-half months to paint, are each topped with a golden-winged animal that turns in the wind. This component of the installation adds an interactive and playful element for onlookers. Each totem is a striking pattern of carefully planned colors by Shicoff to enliven the landscape of the community and the façade of the library building for years to come. MVPL President Oscar Davis, Jr. explains: “Visual art is just as important to the development of a healthy community as is music and the performing arts… It is our hope that when people view [this work], it will inspire them to express themselves through art and reading.”