Sandhill cranes added to Batterman Children’s Library entry

Jorn Mork's cranes (photo courtesy of Cindy Vergenz)

These cranes, created by Jorn Mork,  are part of the youth department entry art in the Dwight Foster Public Library Batterman Children’s Library that was recently commissioned as a part of our expansion and renovation project.  Stop by and see the detail; they are so beautiful! Look for this inscription:  Sandhill cranes flying, dancing, lifetime mates.  (You can’t see it on the photo.  You’ll have to come look in person.)

And here it is…our children’s library entryway art by Jorn Mork and Bill Bale

Bill Bale (of Sandhill Designs) measuring for the installation of the 3 panels.

Whew! The first of three panels has been successfully attached to the wall.

Here comes the second panel…craftsman Bill Bale and artist Jorn Mork do the heavy lifting!

Mrs. Shelly enjoys imagining!

The poor dear…er, deer!

Here you can begin to see some of the incredible detail.

Here it is…from 3 separate panels to 1 beautiful work of art!

There they are! Can you guess where they’re all looking?

Artist Jorn Mork and Craftsman Bill Bale make a great team!

(Click on the first photo and it’ll take you to the gallery view where you can see larger views of the photographs.)

We are very grateful to artist Jorn Mork and craftsman Bill Bale for creating and installing such a magnificent work of art for our Batterman Children’s Library entrance.   Come in and see for yourself; the detail is amazing!   And while it’s almost complete, there are still a couple more pieces coming before it’s 100% complete.  I’d like to publicly thank the members of the public art committee:  Ann Engelman (chair), Shelly Fosdal, Karen Gomez, Mary Kay Grunow, and Rachel Nelan.  (Photos courtesy of Ann Engelman)

Coming soon…an entryway to magic

When I was a child, I always felt libraries were magical.  From a working class family, I depended on my public library for my reading and research.   We could not afford many books; but we could afford library cards.  So every week, when I opened the library’s door and inhaled that smell, I felt like I was entering a magical place, a place of refuge and opportunity.   At one point I remember actually looking around for the magic carpet.

A Kindle isn’t a place.  Therefore it doesn’t kindle in me the same sense of inspiration and awe.   Don’t get me wrong,  I think electronic access is important and helpful.  I own an e-reader.  Just try to get my smart phone away from me.  But, at the end of the day, it’s still about the place.

It’s that magical, mystical, beautiful place called the public library.  Where everybody knows your name.  (Well, okay, that might be true in some libraries but not all.  I’m getting carried away.)  This coming weekend, artists Jorn Mork and Bill Bale will be installing our beautiful new youth department entry art for our Batterman Children’s Library.    It is our hope that this piece will inspire in our children and our future children a love for books and learning.  A sense of place.  A memory worth cherishing.

Stay tuned for photos very soon.

Call for artists for library commissioning

We have funds in our library building project budget for public art and are now seeking proposals from artists to be considered for commissioning for placement in the expanded and renovated library.   I think it’s important to note that we don’t have any preconceived ideas on what this might be.  We do know we want a tree of some kind in the children’s department.  That’s one exciting possibility for an artist to develop.  However, if you aren’t interested in this idea, that’s just fine.  The art we are seeking could be for the youth department or the teen area.  Or you might be interested in creating something for the front entryway, the outside, the donor wall, or the historic area of the library.  In short, we are open to all ideas and virtually any medium.  The Request for Proposal (RFP) provides more information.  Here is the submittal form.

From the official press release:

The Library Arts Committee has established a review process. Cynthia Holt, chair of the group and President of the Fort Atkinson Arts Council indicates, “We will be looking for portfolios that resonate with the community and the library’s history and traditions, environment and mission. We will not necessarily be looking for specific works but artists that will engage with the project on potential public art opportunities.”

“We want the library to be a place that inspires curiosity, creativity and a desire to explore learning,” said Connie Meyer, Library Director. “We’d like people to feel better when they leave than when they arrived, uplifted as a result of visiting the library. Delivering exceptional library services involves many elements, including the physical environment. There are artistic opportunities in the entry, the floors, the donor wall, the landscaping, the teen and youth areas as well as the historic sections of the library. We don’t have any preconceived ideas at this point; we are very open to artists ideas,” Meyer concluded.

Uihlein-Wilson Architects included 1% of the project budget for public art, about $50,000. “The environment and feeling of the space is critical to the success of a library. We want it to be an inviting and fun place to visit and gather,” said architect Del Wilson. “The library helps set the tone in a community. It’s an important place. We have designed the library to honor its history at the same time as it offers promise and anticipation of the future. This is quite an opportunity for an artist to contribute something important to Fort Atkinson,” said Wilson.

Proposals are due to the Dwight Foster Art Committee by June 4, 2010 at 4 p.m.  The review process and artist interviews will take place in June and decisions announced in late June or early July. The Request for Proposals and the application can be found at The Dwight Foster Public Library Web site http://www.fortlibrary.org.