Mulberry Street Branch

At the age of ten, I was drawn to a particular copy of Moby Dick that my grandmother kept on her bookshelf. Its binding was made of blue and red leather with gold lettering. I was determined to read this book and so at my young age I sat on her bed and dove into the first page. "Call me Ishmael." About an hour later, I woke up. Rather than continue reading, I decided to steal the book from her shelf and finish it at a later time. Fifteen years later, I still have yet to read Herman Melville's Moby Dick and no one has ever questioned the mysterious disappearance of my grandmother's copy.

Recently I picked up In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick, which documents the tragic sinking of the Whaleship Essex that inspired Melville's Moby Dick. Philbrick does an excellent job of describing the life of whalers not only aboard the Essex, but the hard life of a whaler during the nineteenth century as well. While this book might not be for the faint of heart (his descriptions of starvation are very graphic) or for the reader who is about to take up sailing, this may be just the read for those who are interested in history with a taste of adventure and heroics. It is also a very fast read as the writing is clear and not overwhelming with nautical jargon. And while In the Heart of the Sea and Moby Dick are closely connected together, I was also reminded of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Normally I'm the type of reader who chooses fiction over non-fiction. I may take up an historical fiction novel and then later read a related non-fiction work for more information, but this is the first time that I'm doing the reverse. In the Heart of the Sea, by Nathaniel Philbrick, has inspired me to once again revisit my grandmother's copy of Moby Dick.

Further Reading:

* In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick
* The Loss of the Ship Essex, Sunk by a Whale: First-Person Accounts
* Moby Dick, or, The Whale by Herman Melville (Try downloading the eBook or audiobook!)
* The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

These titles can be found at the Mulberry Street Branch Library or reserved online.

My grandparents were both born and raised in Newry, County Down , Ireland and remarkably never met until they both arrived in America . My grandmother was the first to come over in 1929 on a very small tugboat that took 10 days and she was apparently seasick for the entire ride and broke one of her favorite teacups. When she arrived in New Jersey , her uncle had told her that she had just missed supper and would have to wait until morning to eat. The next day, he threw a newspaper at her and told her to get a job. In 1930, my grandfather left from Belfast on a larger boat, which he would describe as if he had traveled on a luxury liner, and “danced” his way to America . When he came over, his first task was to deliver a teacup to a woman that had just moved from Newry. And as luck would have it, my grandparents met and fell in love right away.

This abridged version of my grandparent’s story has been repeated to me since I was a little girl. I was reminded constantly about how hard life was for them in Ireland , and the struggles they again faced in America . They were very poor and employers turned my grandmother away because of her Irish background. But I’m not the only one who has a story of when my ancestors emigrated to America. In fact if you are also familiar with stories such as these, you should join us tomorrow night at the Mulberry Street Branch to meet our neighbors, The Lower East Side Tenement Museum . You’ll be able to gain a better understanding of what life was like for immigrants during the 19th and early 20th centuries and reflect on your own family stories.

This program will take place tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. Contact the Mulberry Street Branch library to RSVP.

Helene Berson's work is on display in the main reading room on Level 2 from July to August. Since we opened last May, six local artists have shown their work here.

Describe the kind of art you create.
My artwork is best described as collage and mixed media. The materials I rely on are myriad types of papers, photos and acrylic paint. Some of these come from quite ordinary contemporary sources, some are vintage, some are found objects, and some are specialty art papers. The works come together with the use of a variety of glues and gels. Frequently I incorporate details that have great personal meaning to me in addition to adding visual interest or suggesting the themes or subject of the work.

Talk about the scope of your show at the Mulberry Street Branch.The show consists of about 25 pieces of artwork. They range in size from 4 x 4" to 16 x 20. Most of these pieces were inspired by family photographs; many are of my parents. I found making these works of art gave me an opportunity to explore my feelings about family; family history and my roots. For this reason I coined the term “biollage” to suggest the connection between collage, biography, personal biology and history. Although much of the work contains very personal and mundane references I believe it evokes universal common human themes and experiences.

Where do you find inspiration?I have been deeply inspired by the good fortune of having many vintage family photos in my possession. For many years, decades actually, I treasured these photographs but was not actively relating to them. They were stored in boxes and bags and tucked away in a cupboard. Over the past several years they have revealed both a treasure trove of memories real and imagined and at the same time a Pandora’s Box of the mixed bag of my family history. This show at the library consists of one collection of my work. Other work reflects the inspiration of the sea; shapes--especially triangles; travel, and architecture.

How do you think the library setting affects the people who are experiencing your art?I believe that the Mulberry Street library is a particularly fitting setting for my show because it is a historic building that matches the vintage photographs and settings of my collages. I would like to think that when readers and researchers look up from their books or laptops my work provides a thoughtful resting place for the mind and eye.

Let's judge books by their covers. Describe the kinds of book jackets that have stuck in your artist's memory. I have certainly been drawn to look at a book because of its cover. I like bright, simple, dynamic and stylized designs and typefaces. One example is The Postman Always Rings Twice by James Cain. Generally speaking pulp fiction, Art Deco and styles popularized in the 1930s and 40s will almost always get a second glance from me.

Visit the Mulberry Street Branch to sign Ms. Berson's guest book and see the installation in person.

The next Mulberry Street Branch Library Book Discussion Group will meet on Monday, June 30th, at 6:30 PM. This month's title is Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. For more information on future meeting dates and book titles, click here. The Mulberry Street Branch is located at 10 Jersey Street, between Mulberry and Lafayette.