by Kristina Gabalski
Those attending one of the Low Bridge, High Water Canal opening events in Brockport got a special first peek at what the historic mural planned for the Department of Public Works building might look like (see sketch).
Local artist Stacey Kirby presented her first sketch via a Power Point® presentation during a talk at the Seymour Library, Thursday, May 2.
The sketch had a “scrap book” feel with a weathered-wood style background over which was placed a number of items including an antique-looking map showing the path of the canal through the state. Post card scenes featuring the canal in Brockport and items like an apple and dry beans – both important agricultural exports from the village – are also featured.
Kirby will come up with three different final design options and it will be up to a committee to decide which one, or which combination or more than one, will be used. The mural will be painted on boards and sealed to protect it from moisture. The mural will be installed on the DPW building this fall.
The theme of the mural will be the reconfiguration of the canal which took place between 1905 and 1918. The work helped to accommodate boats that ran with mechanical power and included the installation of the two lift bridges on Main Street and Park Avenue in the village, which are still in use.
Kirby said she considers the reconfiguration project the “apex of the Industrial Revolution.”
She has painted a number of murals in local towns and villages, many along the Erie Canal. Communities that have commissioned her work include Middleport, Holley, Henpeck Park in Greece and the Orleans Community Hospital in Medina. Kirby works to keep all the paintings in perfect condition.
“I get involved in each community and learn about their history,” Kirby explained while she showed slides of her previous works. “It’s very educational to do these paintings,” she said.
