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Artist: Susan Farricielli
Date: 2001
Media: Laser cut light gauge steel metal (aluminum and steel)
Location: Mitchell Library Interior. 37 Harrison Street.
A series of five painted sculptures (four mobiles, 1 relief) for the children's wing of Mitchell Library. The sculptures depict nature, literature, history and science.
The first is a mobile based on Guston Borglum's iconic work on Mount Rushmore. The busts of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln are suspended from wires attached to the ceiling. Each bust moves kinetically, and is highlighted by the natural light of the bay window in which they hang.
The second sculpture installation is another mobile, this one a group of elm leaves that form changing patterns with air circulation The leaves remind viewers of the elm trees that once graced downtown New Haven and thus provided the Elm City with its 19th century nickname. Farricielli wanted to bring some nature indoors, and also pay homage to Donald Grant Mitchell, who loved the rustic style and cared for a large forest and the farmland that eventually became Edgewood Park.
The third installation has multiple parts, spread out across the ceiling and upper walls, an appropriate place for a space themed odyssey. An astronaut walks in space, floating around the moon, while his lunar foot prints are seen traveling out from the space landing craft.
The final work is a large (23'w) film strip in silhouette of classic children's book characters such as the Berenstein Bears, Curious George and Harry Potter. The artist grew up in the New Haven area and became a metal fabricator at Lippincott in North Haven.
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