In an effort to make art more visible within the village of Mamaroneck, two sculptures were recently installed outside of the Paonessa Public Safety building at 169 Mount Pleasant Ave. The sculptures, created by artist Ernest Shaw, were donated to the village by local resident Michael Rosenbaum.
The unveiling of the two sculptures, one untitled and one called “Jacob’s Ladder,” mark the debut of a new Arts Live program spearheaded by the Arts Council. According to Solange De Santis, chairwoman of the council, the initiative came to fruition during a visioning session last fall when the council decided it wanted to make art more visible in the village. Although De Santis said the Arts Council already hosts poetry events for high school students, arts and crafts fairs and the summer concert series, she said the council wanted to involve art more within the community.
De Santis added that Rosenbaum’s desire to donate the sculptures went perfectly with the Arts Live program. “It was really his initiative to donate two sculptures so that more people could enjoy them, and so that they would be a village asset,” she said.
Rosenbaum, who is also a member of the Arts Council, told the Review that he thought the sculptures would be an attractive addition to the community.
Rosenbaum has been collecting the works of Ernest Shaw for many years, and the sculptures that now sit outside 169 Mount Pleasant Ave. previously adorned the lawn at Rosenbaum’s townhouse on Fairway Green in Mamaroneck.
In addition to placing more physical art around the village, De Santis said that the Arts Live program will include art lectures at the library and an outdoor mural, which will be done by a local artist. In addition to a mural by CVS on Mamaroneck Avenue, the sculptures mark the first installation of public artwork within the village.
“It’s sort of a feeling among municipalities that art enhances everything,” De Santis said, citing economic development, an enjoyment of the community and tourism.
De Santis joined Rosenbaum and his wife Maj-Britte, Mayor Norman Rosenblum, a Republican, and town of Mamaroneck Councilwoman Jaine Elkind Eney, a Democrat, in front of the sculptures for the official unveiling on May 6.. De Santis told the small crowd gathered around the artwork that the council hopes the pieces will be a source of inspiration and wonder for all to enjoy.
Additionally, she told the Review that the Board of Trustees had been supportive of their endeavor to install these sculptures around the village.
Rosenblum said, “We’re adding to the beauty and diversity of the village of Mamaroneck.”
