When Wood Library patron and Canandaigua resident Barbara McPhail first walked into the newly expanded library building in 2013, she knew right away what was missing in the busy stairwell that links the lobby to the 2nd floor book collections.  “The space just called out for a tile mural,” exclaimed McPhail in a recent interview.

McPhail, an art teacher and artist whose body of work crosses over into many mediums, is known for using color and images to evoke feelings about issues she cares about.  In 2019, she applied for and was granted a Finger Lakes Community Arts Grant to create a ceramic tile mural that will be installed at Wood Library in March.  The mural is inspired by Carl Sagan and his writings about the power of books.

Several popular and widely recognizable symbols and characters from classic literature are presented in McPhail’s original galaxy design.  They include:  Martin Luther King, Jr., Harry Potter, Anne Frank, Black Beauty, White Fang, Winnie The Pooh and Piglet, Mockingjay symbol (Hunger Games), White Stag symbol (Throne of Glass), Trident symbol (Percy Jackson).

As the installation progresses we will post images on social media and look forward to a public unveiling of the mural sometime later this Spring.