Long Island artist creates community artwork

The Baldwin Public Library invited Meagan Meehan, a long island based artist, to create artwork with the community during the library’s Great Give Back last week.

The library held the Great Give Back — a book giveaway event — and Shoe Us the Love — a shoe donation drive — in tandem with the final version of Megan Meehan’s Poetry and Prose community art project on Saturday, October 15 at the Baldwin Public Library located on 2385 Grand Avenue.

Library Director Elizabeth Olesh said the day’s event was a smashing success and said dozens of community members came out to enjoy the book, CD, DVD, games and, popcorn giveaways.

“The Great Give Back is an opportunity for members of the public to get involved in meaningful volunteer activities at libraries throughout New York. In Baldwin, people donated hundreds of pairs of shoes for the Friends’ fundraiser,” said Olesh. “The Library also gave back to the community with another popular Great Book Giveaway.”

Olesh said members of the library rallied to bring a mountain of shoes to donate and provide Meehan with writing and art contributions for her collaborative community art project.

This piece is going to include little poems, or quotes from community members, about life, hope, inspiration or how you got through the pandemic”, said Meehan. “People will be decorate canvas and I’ll put them into the bigger piece to present to the library.”

Meehan said she’s worked with the Baldwin Public Library a few years and has participated in the library’s events like Poetry, Prose and Art where Meehan worked with community members at the library to share and collect expressions and feelings about how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected them. 

During the Great Give Back on Saturday, October 15 Meehan held her final iteration of this event and collected community member’s entries and hung them to a sculptural hanging wall art as a collaborative community art project. The library said the project would then be displayed on exhibition at the Baldwin Historical Society.

Meehan is a Long Island based artist and poet from Manhasset, an educator and writer and the founder of the conscious perceptionalism — an art practice which prompts viewers to see art from a 360-degree angle.

Meehan said she has always been into art, but didn’t go to school for art. She said she took some elective courses in art, but her Bachelor’s degrees are in English literature and Culture from New York Institute of Technology and she has a Master of Arts in communication from Marist College. She said she’s currently working on a PhD in curriculum design. 

Along with the library’s The Great Give Back, Ultra Lanes Bowl and Lounge, located on 2407 Grand Avenue, and Friends of the Baldwin Library held Bowl for the Baldwin Public Library from 2p.m. to 4p.m. Brenda Khabie, the owner of the bowling centre, said she wanted to support the library and its events by raising money during its give back event.

“It’s always wonderful to interact with crowds of excited community members,” said Meehan. “I love talking and seeing the creativity in people.”

Meehan said because there’s no structure to her project, participants could make whatever they want. She said as long as it’s friendly for a general audience, they can make political sculptures. 

Meehan said she likes to connect with libraries because it’s a great way to make other contacts in the art world and a great way to meet people for an afternoon. She said the most rewarding part was gathering to spark creativity in the communities.