For each library, 1% of the construction budget is going toward public art. Inspired by our brand promises, we’re encouraging artists to serve the public good and nurture communities. One Columbia for Arts and History is helping us build your library by coordinating the selection of new pieces of public art for all of our renovations.
Staff fell in love with the work of SC artist Enid Williams on display at the If ART gallery. Our design team connected with Enid Williams and Milliken & Company and voila, custom flooring based on Williams’ work was produced for the Main Library renovation. Enid will also create art for our new Ballentine location.
Columbia-based artist Laurie Brownell McIntosh will bring her ongoing series, Hanging Pages, to Richland Library North Main. During a two-day workshop, McIntosh will capture the spirit of participants’ community in a permanent, nine-panel installation composed of their deconstructed and reassembled creations.
A textile/fiber installation of ephermal organza cubes will be installed at Ballentine. One side of every cube will hold a "memory" provided by members of the Ballentine community.
Arcadia will be a fabric sculpture inspired by a graphite rubbing taken from the trunk of a large felled tree. The crinoline used will create shadows and patterns and will spark imagination.
Kirkland Smith will create a piece of art using post-consumer materials. She enjoys working with children and adults in assemblage workshops and plans to work with community members on-site at the new Sandhills Library.
"The Water Tower Pavilion was inspired by the Blythewood steam train water tower. This tower was a figure in the town's history and serviced the Blythewood railway industry. As an artist I feel this water tower is an important link to Blythewood's history. The pavilion will nourish the community and its culture while embracing its historic beginnings." Jarod Charzewski
Kimi Maeda is a Japanese-American theatre artist based in Columbia, South Carolina. She will be creating a "shadow tunnel" leading into the new children's story time room at the Main Library. This interactive art piece will enable children to create puppet shows and play with shadows.
The Hyperbolic Crochet Wisteria Sculpture is a community driven project of knitted and crochet yarn creating a sculpture that will showcase the strength, individuality and diversity of the local community. When assembled, it will be a stunning, kaleidoscope of color and energy.
The project titled The Band Shell comes from every community's basic need to meet, an intuitive human nature to create and perform. The structure is a performance space that will give the St. Andrews community a lasting sense of identity.
The three figures, two adults and a youth are faceless to represent the diversity of the community. The curvature of the forms gives them a sense of being animated. In addition, being somewhat larger than life size, they appear rooted while having grown from the surrounding soil and history. Meadows will work with community members to incorporate text that is meaningful to them into his public art piece.
The Richland Library commissioned Marius Valdes to create a permanent art installation made from over 5000 hand drawn bookmarks on a 50 x 9 foot entrance wall for the newly renovated Teen area at Richland Library Main. Many of the bookmarks will be created by Valdes with help from the community. Doodle kits are being distributed to both library customers and several local schools. Each kit contains blank bookmarks, sharpies and directions so that community members can be a part of this art project.
Northeast Public Art designed by Clark Ellefson will feature a map of the world highlighting the international corridor and will wrap the corner of the existing building. In addition, a free standing sculpture symbolizing both waves and water will be viewed prominently when approaching Richland Library Northeast.
Mary Robinson is an Associate Professor of Art and Head of Printmaking at the University of South Carolina. She received a BFA in Art from the University of Colorado and an MFA in Printmaking from Indiana University. Her work has been exhibited throughout the United States as well as in Australia, Europe and Asia.She has attended residencies in Belgium, Finland and the U.S., and was invited to be a Resident Artist at the Hong Kong Graphic Arts Festival. Robinson’s awards include a USC Provost Grant to work in Finland and Japan, and a Fulbright-Hayes Study Abroad Project in Korea.
Mary's work for Wheatley will be featured in the new children's space. Titled "Community", she was inspired by nature and community members who engaged in a print-making workshop with Mary.
"People use the word "treasure" for gold, jewels and other precious things. I feel that this word captures the essence or soul of the Edgewood community. Each time I walked through the neighborhood and spoke to the residents, I sensed their great pride in their community, history and neighbors. In this artwork, I created seven panels that reflect that pride in the community, history and people of Edgewood. The people depicted on the panels were done in silhouette so that they could represent all members of the community. Edgewood's greatest treasure is its people."
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