All About The Arts in New Rochelle

Marie Hines Cowan is a figurative oil painter whose work marries mythology with colloquial culture. Marie studied Classical Literature at New York University,  and Illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology; the large- scale works she creates at her studio here in New Rochelle are narrative, bold, colorful and painterly, but also graphic and illustrative. Recently Marie was invited to exhibit her work at the Bembo Palazzo in Venice for the European Cultural Centre’s 2024 biennial.  We’ll talk to Marie about where her fascination with ancient Greek mythology came from and how it has influenced her work.  

The French husband-and-wife team of Audrey and Thibault Decker are the creators of Street Art for Mankind, promoting the creation of large-scale, high-impact murals around the world. They’ve orchestrated eye-caching public art from Paris to London, New York to Dallas – and even New Rochelle, which boasts 20 murals. SAM’s mission statement is to use art to promote social change: What inspired them to create SAM? What is their process for discovering artists they want to work with? What are the challenges of working in such enormous “canvases”? And what are the challenges of working with a variety of artists? How did they forge their relationship with the United Nations? And what still excites them about the work?

Barbara Davis is the Co-Director of the Westchester County Historical Society. Founded in 1874 as a member-based, not-for-profit organization, the Society’s mission is to collect, preserve, protect and promote the knowledge and understanding of Westchester’s long and remarkable history. From 2004 through 2020, she was the Community Relations Coordinator for the New Rochelle Public Library and has served as New Rochelle’s City Historian since 2001. A resident of New Rochelle for over 40 years, she currently  sits on the board of New Rochelle Council on the Arts. We’re going to ask Barbara to tell us about New Rochelle’s history as an artist’s colony: In the early part of the 20th century New Rochelle had more artists per capita than any other city in the U.S. and newspapers referred to it as “Greenwich Village without the Village”!  How did that happen? What drew major artists to live and work in New Rochelle 100 years ago? And where can we see their legacy today?

Model, artist, restaurateur – Alvin Clayton may be one of New Rochelle’s most recognizable faces.  Arriving in the U.S. from Trinidad on a soccer scholarship, Alvin was “discovered” and sent to France to work as a male model, and it was there that he began to teach himself to paint. But how did it start: What drew Alvin to art as a method of expression?  And what drew him to New Rochelle? How does he find time to balance running his restaurant with making art? And how has his art evolved? While his earlier canvases were Matisse-inspired celebrations of music, dance and Paris life, his more recent works have a political edge. Where does he draw inspiration from now? And where does he see his work going? 

Angela Derecas Taylor describes herself as a “writer/foodie/yogini” – and she also happens to have been Mayor Noam Bramson’s aide for the last dozen years, so she is plugged into the New Rochelle scene. Angela shares stories about her life in print and on stage as a storyteller with Generation Women, StoryBOOM and The Moth Radio Hour.

Angela helped bring The Moth to New Rochelle to kick off ArtsFest on October 19th with a Story Slam, so we’ll talk to her about live story telling: What makes it so special, both as a performer and an audience member? And how does it work? She’ll get us all ready for an amazing Moth experience.

Barbara Davis is the Co-Director of the Westchester County Historical Society. Founded in 1874 as a member-based, not-for-profit organization, the Society’s mission is to collect, preserve, protect and promote the knowledge and understanding of Westchester’s long and remarkable history. From 2004 through 2020, she was the Community Relations Coordinator for the New Rochelle Public Library and has served as New Rochelle’s City Historian since 2001. A resident of New Rochelle for over 40 years, she currently  sits on the board of New Rochelle Council on the Arts. We’re going to ask Barbara to tell us about New Rochelle’s history as an artist’s colony: In the early part of the 20th century New Rochelle had more artists per capita than any other city in the U.S. and newspapers referred to it as “Greenwich Village without the Village”!  How did that happen? What drew major artists to live and work in New Rochelle 100 years ago? And where can we see their legacy today?

Charles Fazzino has become known as “the Master of 3-D art,” creating brightly colored three- dimensional paintings and sculptures with broad appeal: He is a cultural phenomenon, creating pieces each year for the Super Bowl and the Major League Baseball All Star Game as well as a permanent installation for American Airlines at the JFK Terminal. His instantly-recognizable work even appears on a line of luggage as well cell phone cases and apparel. Yet his studio remains right in the heart of downtown New Rochelle. How did he get his start? How did he build his brand? What is his process today? And what does New Rochelle mean to him?