Fate of James Fenimore Cooper murals rests with Westchester school board

Officials in a Westchester County high school say time is running out in a debate over the fate of eight murals depicting scenes from James Fenimore Cooper’s Leatherstocking novels that could be covered to make way for new learning space in the building.

Fenimore Art Museum President Paul D’Ambrosio told The Freeman’s Journal / Hometown Oneonta the gallery is a potential home for the paintings on the walls of Mamaroneck High School.

“It would be a shame if they were covered,” Mr. D’Ambrosio said, explaining the murals originated from 1930s-era Works Progress Administration art projects. The WPA hired artists from Yale University to create the murals as a nod toward James Fenimore Cooper’s time as a resident of Mamaroneck.

“They’re not amateur work,” he said. “They’re a strong part of local history.”

Otsego Lake is the setting for two of the murals; another shows Cooper in front of Otsego Hall.

Mr. D’Ambrosio said the Fenimore Art Museum discussed moving the murals but it could be expensive, adding, “And it’s not clear how expensive.”

He said, too, the Fenimore lacks space for a permanent exhibit of the Mamaroneck murals and is talking with the school district about the appropriate time needed to raise money and strategize next steps. With construction at the high school imminent, there is a feeling of urgency among those hoping to preserve the murals.

“There might be some flexibility there, but it doesn’t look like there’s a lot of time,” Mr. D’Ambrosio said.

Stephen Harthorn, editor of The James Fenimore Cooper Society Journal, sent a letter to the Mamaroneck Board of Education urging the panel to neither destroy nor cover the murals.

“Photographs we have seen of the murals show their distinctive artistry and their high quality,” he wrote. “Depression-era murals have become recognized in their own right as public works of art well worth preserving, and the further connection these murals have to Cooper, a local author of national and international significance, practically demands that efforts be made to conserve them and, if needed, find them an appropriate home.”

Mr. Hawthorn told The Freeman’s Journal / Hometown Oneonta his organization (www.jfcoopersociety.org) has been working to “get the word out” about the mural situation. The Society so far has spoken to artists from Yale University and the Mamaroneck Historical Society to collaborate on urging the school board to delay plans to move forward with covering the paintings.

“The murals really went under our radar until a few weeks ago,” he said. “Cooper was a very descriptive writer and he inspired visual art. From our perspective, we would say the murals are a piece of this legacy.”

“People have realized a lot of Depression-era murals have already been destroyed or painted over,” he said. “The window of time here is short and I think that’s why there’s a flurry of activity. I don’t get the sense the Mamaroneck Board of Education is doing this out of malice. It could just be a situation where people aren’t aware of the murals’ significance.”

Mamaroneck High School Superintendent Dr. Robert Shaps said in a statement the school district did not think it wise to “spend $100,000 to $150,000 in taxpayer money to have the murals removed and preserved.”

“We do understand why these murals evoke strong memories for the community members who have written us,” he continued. “We were recently contacted by an alumna who is interested in spearheading a community fundraising effort. Given the interest, we are hopeful that the Historical Society will be successful in its efforts to fundraise and identify a potential location for the future display of these murals.”

He said the school district would take “high-quality digital images” of the murals to archive or display the paintings.