$35G Arts Grant Earmarked to Commission Downtown Pleasantville Mural

Outdoor murals enhance a community in a way that reflects its most positive features, especially if created by local artists.

A $35,000 state grant has been obtained for Pleasantville that will fund the creation of an original mural. The goal is to install the mural by early next summer.

The grant, which was obtained by Assemblywoman MaryJane Shimsky (D-Dobbs Ferry), will be administrated by ArtsWestchester, the nonprofit organization that promotes the arts throughout the county.

Pleasantville Public Art Committee (PPAC) co-chairs Marlene Canapi and Stuart Vance discussed the project at the Village Board’s Oct. 28 work session.

Vance reminded the board that PPAC had originally proposed a mural for the Jackson Alley walkway off Wheeler Avenue in 2022. It has yet to be determined where a mural paid for by this grant would be located.

“The basic idea was a celebration of the community coming through the pandemic,” Vance said. “The theme was how Pleasantville was a walking village by using gigantic figures walking down the alley.”

Vance had photographed more than 100 members of the community to serve as models for the mural. But unforeseen technical difficulties with the project put it on hold.

An open call for artists to apply for the funds will be issued by ArtsWestchester, according to Kathleen Reckling, the organization’s CEO, who attended the meeting by Zoom along with Janet Langsam, ArtsWestchester CEO emerita.

“We’ve had a lot of success in first-time projects on location,” Reckling explained. “Selecting artists in an open call allows for community engagement on multiple levels.”

ArtsWestchester will work with the PPAC to define the goals of the project.

The wording and description for the open call for artists in a Request for Proposal (RFP) will take a few weeks to put together. Advertising the open call is expected to run for six to eight weeks.

Once artists’ proposals are received, they will be reviewed for a month by a special committee comprised of PPAC members and other relevant stakeholders.

Reckling said committee members typically recommend the top two or three artists, who are chosen as finalists, be awarded an honorarium and offered feedback from the committee. Based on the feedback, artists would create final designs. A final package of each artist’s proposal would be sent to a selection committee to review and award the grant.

Canapi noted that she will be organizing a new committee to work with ArtsWestchester for the mural project.

Vance said he would no longer serve on the PPAC because he wants to apply as an independent artist for the grant and submit a smaller version of his walking mural.

ArtsWestchester will need input about possible mural locations in the village to enable it to put together an RFP. Among some of the possible sites for a mural that were mentioned last week were a wall at the Jacob Burns Film Center and one at 70 Memorial Plaza.

Other possible sites for a mural will be sought from local building owners, Canapi said.

Although the Jackson Alley site was problematic, Langsam said she thought it would be the best location for a mural. She also suggested looking for other potential sites around Wheeler Avenue.

“I know Wheeler Avenue. It’s where there are restaurants and it’s a hub of socialization in Pleasantville,” Langsam said. “It’s nice to have one mural but it would be even nicer if the street were enlivened with another mural eventually. It would bring a lot of creativity to the scene.”