North Hempstead’s community center unveiled a new mural on Saturday in honor of the late civil rights icon Dr. Hazel Dukes and Westbury’s diversity.
“I hope people see themselves in the artwork,” said Marie Saint-Cyr, the mural’s artist, who grew up in New Cassel and has completed multiple other murals around her hometown.
“I hope it brings a smile to people’s faces because it’s highlighting actual positive things that happen in the town,” she added, explaining the mural was designed from a collage of photographs and actual events that took place across North Hempstead, including a central image of Dukes, a Roslyn native and prominent civil rights leader who passed last month.
While pulling the curtains back in the Yes We Can Center Saturday morning might have only taken a few seconds, the process of bringing this mural to fruition has taken nearly three years, Saint-Cyr said.
Traci Caines, the founder of Community Connections of Long Island (CCLI), made the initial request to the town’s Community Development Agency for a mural project around three years ago.
There was money that could be used for art from a grant through the MTA’s Third Track Project Community Benefits Agreement the community had received when the LIRR underwent a 2022 expansion, and she wanted a way to engage local kids in the community art-making, an idea she had because she involves the community’s youth when running Westbury’s farmer market through CCLI.
Though the CDA supported the idea, finding a location to place a mural turned into an extensive process. After asking many businesses throughout the town to paint on their walls, she turned to North Hempstead’s community center, then collaborated with Westbury Arts Center to put out a call for artists.
The arts center then put out a request for artist proposals for an indoor mural in the community center earlier this year. A few weeks later, the center selected Saint-Cyr’s proposal, and she began work in late February.
“I was not going to give up,” said Caines. “I think at the core of it all, I really wanted something for the kids to be proud of and a part of, which is why I continued to push.
Julie Lyon, the president of Westbury Arts’ board of directors, said Saint-Cyr used to work for Westbury Arts before leaving to grow her mural business, which is one reason she had such confidence in Saint-Cyr’s ability to carry out the project in the community center.
“We’ve just been watching her blossom as an entrepreneur. It’s really a place of pride for us that she was part of our little Westbury Arts family and now she’s just bigger than life.”
Saint-Cyr’s mural agency, Saint-Cyr Art Engagement, has painted over 100 murals in public places and schools across New York City and Long Island. Her agency works to engage young artists and students in the painting to provide them with experience, a trend she continued with this project by involving art students from her alma mater, Westbury High School, in the painting process.
“The scenes that are reflected in this mural are just wonderful pictures of empowerment,” said North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena. “For Dr. Hazel Dukes to be featured so prominently here at the Yes We Can Center is just wonderful.”
Now that this mural is complete, Saint-Cyr said she hopes to paint more around North Hempstead over the summer and in the future.
“We’re trying to keep the kids engaged and have something that the community can be proud of,” Caines said. “This mural not only adds vibrancy to Westbury and New Cassel, but also serves as a symbol of love, unity, and the power of collaboration. It’s a reflection of our ongoing commitment to uplifting and strengthening the neighborhoods we serve.”
