Art @ APL

Ya Gotta Have Art!

 

Dancing Curves  by Frank Morbillo

Every time we enter the library, we pass curves that dance and patterns of color. The curves are actually “Dancing Curves,” the bronze sculpture by Frank Morbillo that stands just outside the front entrance of the library. Once through the doors and over the bridge into the library itself, we can look up and see “Foundations of Pattern,” a ring of paper designs in brightly-colored shapes created in the library under the supervision of artist Thomas Grade.

 

Though we are familiar with thinking of the Appleton Public Library in terms of the items we take home—the books, DVDs, CDs, etc.—the library also serves as a showcase for public art, a permanent collection available for viewing during our visits. These works represent a wide variety of forms, including oils, watercolors, photographs, cloth, bronze, and even neon.

One of the most widely-seen works of art in the library is a neon piece, a small painting of sky and clouds with a bright neon curve sweeping across it. This painting, “Argon Cloud” by Toni Neon (yes, that’s her name), hangs behind the Circulation Desk and can be seen each time we check out a book. At perhaps the opposite end of the technological scale are two framed quilts created by Hmong artisans that depict scenes from Hmong culture and history. One of these quilts resides in the library’s Hmong Collection on the first floor, while the other is displayed on the west wall of the Children’s area.

 

by Brenda Baker

The Children’s area also features a display of six large, colorful painted carvings by Brenda Baker, with additional carvings forming cuffs around two of the nearby pillars. The cheerful mural behind the reading train in the Children’s area was designed by Kathleen Westbrook of the Children's Services staff and painted by Kathleen and Karla Lauden, an art teacher and substitute staff member.

 

 

Appleton Library, ca. 1950

Among the pieces on the lower level of the library are several enlarged photos showing old views of the Appleton Public Library. Also on the lower level, along a hall leading to meeting rooms C and D, are detailed “colored Xerography” illustrations by artist Richard Masters, showing the buildings along College Avenue as they looked in 1993.

 

 

Appleton Lock No. 1  by Thomas J. Schultz

The most extensive collection of public art at the library is visible on the second floor, where a wide range of work can be viewed along the walls of the nonfiction wing. These works include oils, etchings, pastels, watercolors, and molded cloth. Their form includes realistic animals and landscapes, as well as impressionistic works and surrealism.

 

 

…from "Fine Print," Fall 2010