The Seattle Public Library board of trustees has selected artwork created by Seattle artists Mary Iverson and Monad Elohim to display in the renovated Madrona-Sally Goldmark Branch, 1134 33rd Ave. The board made its unanimous decision at its Nov. 28 meeting.
The six-member Madrona-Sally Goldmark Branch Artist Advisory Panel reviewed submissions by 20 artists before recommending the Library buy an oil painting by Iverson called “Cargo,” which depicts her fascination with ship containers and cargo cranes, and a ceramic sculpture by Elohim called “Sleepy Goat,” which represents our power to make our dreams a reality.
The panelists liked the linear aspect of Iverson’s painting because it echoed the rows of book stacks and thought the playfulness of Elohim’s piece would appeal to children.
The panel included the project architect from Heliotrope Architects, community members Jacqui Beck and Tom Flood, Library staff members, and the project manager for the city’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, which manages the Library’s public art program.
Iverson uses complex networks of overlapping planes and guide lines, drawing attention to the dramatic perspective in her paintings, which deal with themes of accumulation and the passage of time. Several local organizations, including Microsoft and the University of Washington Medical Center, have paintings by Iverson in their collections. Iverson has exhibited her work at the Center on Contemporary Art and the Lead Gallery, both in Seattle, the Whatcom Museum of History & Art in Bellingham and the Kimball Art Center in Park City, Utah.
A longtime Madrona resident, Elohim creates whimsical sculptures and paintings that celebrate his love for life, the power of human imagination and a positive view of the world. He has created permanent installations for 4Culture (formerly the King County Arts Commission), the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District in Vancouver, Washington, and the Sedro-Woolley Elementary School.
The renovation of the 1,707-square-foot Madrona-Sally Goldmark Branch is part of the $196.4 million “Libraries for All” bond measure, which voters approved in 1998. The bond money, which can be used only for construction of libraries, is funding new and improved branches, in addition to the new Central Library.
The interior is being renovated so patrons and staff can more efficiently use the space. The work also includes new seating, upgraded technology services and equipment, better electrical, communication and computer connections, improved ventilation, a modern mechanical system and an updated book collection that emphasizes material for children, popular fiction and DVDs. The branch is expected to reopen in the first half of 2008.
To date, the Library has completed the new Central Library and the Ballard, Beacon Hill, Capitol Hill, Columbia, Delridge, Douglass-Truth, Fremont, Green Lake, Greenwood, High Point, International District/Chinatown, Lake City, Montlake, NewHolly, North East, Northgate, Queen Anne, Rainier Beach, South Park, Southwest, University, Wallingford and West Seattle branches. The expanded Broadview Branch will reopen Dec. 8.
The Seattle Public Library Foundation continues to raise funds from private sources to keep pace with the demands of patrons for the most comprehensive and dynamic library facilities and services. Every dollar raised by the Foundation will ensure a level of excellence in the Library’s facilities, collections, and programs that would not be possible through its tax-based support alone.
For more information, visit the Library’s Web site at www.spl.org.
(For more information, call Caroline Young Ullmann, assistant communications director, at 206-615-1627.)
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Content modified: 13 December 2007
12/13/2007
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