One of the most striking features about the Oak Park Public Library is its amazing art collection. It features an unusual high quality of contemporary art that you might expect from a local library, which actually represents an effort to make a library a place as a community destination rather than just a one-purpose stop. One of the most famous artists I recoginzed in the library was Kehinde Wiley, a contemporary artist from Harlem, NY. It turns out that a couple years ago, after the rennovation of the main branch, the Library organized an art committee to collect art, bought some pieces from local artists, and then hired an art consultant who recommended Wiley. Good choice! Details about Wiley are coming.
Good art, featured in a library setting, is a good idea. Below are several great examples seen on several floors of the library, that invite people to contemplate a visual world that is interrelated to the books around them. I'm absolutely thrilled and somewhat proud to have a library with such progressive expression. I can't wait to see other pieces in their collection.
Portland has many beautiful parks and gardens and it has been a real treat discovering the multitude of public areas that the city offers. So far, one of my favorite discoveries has been Peninsula Park. Located in the Northeast quadrant of the city, the park has a large open field, then is sectioned off by a brick promenade with a bandstand, and then a large rose garden laid out in a European manner. Some would argue that only a large mansion is missing in the design, but the democratic accessibility of the garden is an additional vitrue of the garden that makes it incredibly valuable.
There's a large variety of roses inside the garden for people to experience the many different colors, shapes, and scents, which helps to keep up the city's title as the 'City of Roses'. The rose beds are accentuated by tightly trimmed lines of boxwood, which helps to highlight the symmetrical layout of the garden. Rose bushes are ubiquitous around the city, but the Peninsula Park references the history and tradition of roses that helped develop it's popularity.
Part of the fun of working inside a museum is getting to see what its like when it's not open to the public. I'm sure that anyone can imagine the secret world behind closed doors, but to be lucky enough to visit into it is quite another thing.
I remember when I first started working at the Met and went to the museum on a closed day (Monday), and feeling at first, like an intruder, but then a member to a club. When open to the public, thousands upon thousands of people walk through the Met on a daily basis, so when it's closed everything on view feels as if it's been displayed specifically for you.
You can enter a whole world of beautiful objects, paintings, and decorated rooms that seem to permeate the mind, and bloom to the intellect. The quiet stillness of the galleries elevates the objects and paintings to a heightened mental precision. I tend to notice details of things that I had never seen before.
Sadly, the days of being closed on Mondays to the public are numbered. Beginning in July the Met will be open seven days a week. Now don't get me wrong, it's great that everyone will be able to come to the museum every day of the week, but I know personally, some of the magic of the secret world of objects will diminish.
I was going to put some photos to this entry, but I've been having connection difficulties. Hopefully, I can add them later this week.
