More than ‘W’

What looks to the casual observer like six-story letters W adorning the side of the ArtsWestchester building at 31 Mamaroneck Ave. in White Plains is not just a group of letters. It’s a sculpture made from fabric that’s titled “Metropolis Sunrise.” The fabric sculpture will be in place until the end of November.

The sculpture was created by artist Amanda Browder, who specializes in fabric sculptures that cover the exteriors of buildings. For example, in 2016 she covered three buildings in Buffalo with hundreds of yards of fabric. Other buildings sporting her fabric sculptures have been in such far-flung places as Grand Rapids, Michigan, Arlington, Virginia, and Bruges, Belgium.

The “Metropolis Sunrise” in White Plains required enough sewing to fill 35 days, according to Browder, who is located in Brooklyn and had some assistance on the project.

ArtsWestchester said that more than 1,000 volunteers helped to cut, pin and sew together 10,000 square feet of donated fabric. Work had started on the project before the Covid pandemic forced a shutdown of many business and social activities.

The volunteers sewed panels that the artist then strung together in the former Macy”™s store at the White Plains Galleria. The assembly occurred in late September through early October and took up an entire floor of the former Macy”™s store.

“We spent time learning about each other and how creativity can be a bond that lasts a lifetime,” Browder said. “Each piece of fabric, thread, and stitch represents the connection that we developed while making this work as a community.”

Janet Langsam, the CEO of ArtsWestchester, said that Browder’s sculptures “are so powerful because they bring communities together at every level of their construction, offering multiple opportunities for inclusion.”

The “Metropolis Sunrise” project was made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

The ArtsWestchester building at one time was the headquarters of the Peoples National Bank & Trust Company. In 1998 ArtsWestchester purchased it from Chase Manhattan Bank for $1,200,000. In November 2000, JP Morgan Chase retired the mortgage, in effect donating the building to nonprofit ArtsWestchester.