The Seattle Public Library board of trustees has selected a third artist to create permanent artwork at the new Central Library as part of the “Library Unbound” series of artworks. The Library Board made its unanimous decision at its July 7 meeting.
Artist George Legrady of Santa Barbara, Calif., will develop “Making Visible the Invisible: What the Community is Reading,” an electronic installation that will visually map on a daily basis and over time the circulation of non-fiction books, revealing the collective reading interests of the library’s patrons. The project’s intent is to create a work that reflects the dynamic nature of society, a work that is informative and provides a stimulating, aesthetic experience.
The work will be presented on six large plasma screens
on the glass wall behind the librarians’ reference
desk in the Charles Simonyi Mixing Chamber. An early
prototype of the work can be viewed at http://www.sojamo.de/splWeb/index.html. 
The 362,987-square-foot Central Library, designed by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) in a joint venture with Seattle-based LMN Architects, opened May 23.
Legrady was commissioned by the Library Board in 2003 to develop a proposal for the “Library Unbound” series of artworks at the Central Library. He completed a one-week residency at the Temporary Central Library to develop his proposal. During that period, Legrady had access to Library staff and learned about the Library’s operations and collections and the new building, which was then under construction. Legrady submitted his proposal in January.
A panel of arts professionals and Library staff reviewed Legrady’s proposal. Since January, Legrady has worked with the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs and Library staff to further develop his proposal. In addition, the Library has received $50,000 from the Committee of 33, a local non-profit organization of women who fund good works in public art, landscaping and streetscape improvements. That brings the total artwork budget to $100,000, which allowed Legrady to realize the work at the scale and in the location desired by the Library.
In addition to Legrady, textile artist Mandy Greer of Seattle will develop a series of works for the Faye G. Allen Children’s Center based on three folk tale themes: “The Phoenix Fairy,” “Babe the Ox” and “The Magic Grove.” Mixed-media artist Lynne Yamamoto of Brooklyn, N.Y., will create a sculpture collage with resin castings of antiquated library furnishings currently used by Library staff, including a library bureau, a bell, a newspaper stand, desks and chairs.
“Library Unbound” is part of an overall art plan developed by art planners Jessica Cusick and Rick Lowe for the new Central Library, which also includes site-integrated artwork by Ann Hamilton, Tony Oursler and Gary Hill.
The Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, the city agency that promotes the value of arts and culture in and of communities throughout Seattle, is supported by the 15-member Seattle Arts Commission, citizen volunteers appointed by the mayor and City Council. Arts & Cultural Affairs manages the Library’s public art program.
Voters approved the new Central Library in 1998 as part of the $196.4 million “Libraries for All” bond measure. The bond money, which can be used only for construction of libraries, funded a new Central Library and new and improved branches. The budget for the library was $165.5 million, which included $10 million for the Temporary Central Library.
The Seattle Public Library Foundation has raised more than $82.5 million through its “Campaign for Seattle’s Public Libraries” from private sources to enhance the public bond commitment. Every dollar raised ensures the Library system reflects our community’s needs in buildings, books, technology and people, long into the future.
For more information about Libraries for All, visit the Library's Web site at www.spl.org and select “Libraries for All capital projects.”
(For more information, call Caroline Young Ullmann, communications assistant, 206-615-1627.)
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Content modified: 16 July 2004
12/30/2005
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