City of Rochester News Release
(Thursday,
Jan. 30, 2020) – Mayor
Lovely A. Warren today joined members of the Hoffman family, along with artist
Sarah Rutherford, for the dedication of an art piece that will be permanently
displayed at the Ryan R-Center in memory of community activist Lisa Hoffman,
who passed away last September. Also
present were Commissioner of Recreation and Youth Services Dr. Daniele
Lyman-Torres and Trelawney McCoy, who is the subject of the featured art piece.
“Lisa and I knew each other for many years,”
said Mayor Warren. “We met when she was
working as an advocate with the Regional Center for Independent Living and I
was working in the office of Assemblyman David Gantt. Although she was blind, Lisa saw the world in
a better light than most people with 20/20 vision. She was a beautiful person and a fierce
advocate for the rights of people with disabilities. It’s an honor to have her
legacy memorialized here at the Ryan Center.”
The newly installed art piece is based on
Sarah Rutherford’s 2017 public art project, Her
Voice Carries. The project consists
of five murals that are located throughout different quadrants of the
city. Each mural depicts an ordinary
woman who lives in Rochester and is making a real difference in the community
in her own unique way.
The piece dedicated in memory of Lisa is a
replica of the mural of Trelawney McCoy, an adoptive, foster and biological
mother of twelve children who supports young mothers as a full- time project
counselor at the University of Rochester.
She also volunteers with the Rochester Rams Football Club and serves as
Executive VP of Western NY Pop Warner.
The original mural featuring Trelawney is
located on West Main Street, in the Susan B. Anthony neighborhood, where the
Hoffman family resides.
Rutherford is a close friend of the Hoffman
family and wanted to do something to honor Lisa’s life and work. The Ryan
R-Center was selected as the site for the piece because Trelawney McCoy
volunteers at the Center, which is located at 530 Webster Ave.
The artwork was donated to the Ryan Center
by Lisa’s parents, Dan and Barbara Hoffman, along with her sister, Susan
Hoffman.
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News
Media: For more information, contact
Press Officer Jessica Alaimo, 428-7135.