The gift turned out to be $1.3 million dollars from a woman who wished to remain anonymous The bequest was unrestricted and could be used in any way they saw fit.
“We were flabbergasted, shocked, we had never received a gift of that magnitude!” said Kambitsch, who headed the library system from 2001-2021. “The donor had been in a nursing home and didn’t have an active library card at the time!”
He credits Hayde with suggesting the money be used to provide art for all of the new libraries.
Area arts organizations were invited to submit a Request for Proposal, suggesting creative ways to proceed.
The winner was the Dayton Art Institute with an innovative idea that would blend the old with the new. Artifacts in the museum’s permanent collection would be used to inspire new work by area artists. The winning artists would be showcased in 17 branch libraries and the downtown Main Library. To the best of anyone’s knowledge, it was the first such collaboration in the United States.
“I’ve heard from local artists who say they were greatly impacted by the project,” Kambitsch said. “So many of them have told me this gave them the opportunity to work on a scale of complexity they would never have been able to do on their own.”
Book recently published
Credit: Andy Snow
Credit: Andy Snow
In addition to visiting the libraries to see all of the completed artwork, you can check out the beautifully illustrated book recently published by Dayton Metro Library, the Dayton Art Institute and the Dayton Metro Library Foundation. A copy of “Reimagining Works,” can be borrowed from any of the libraries or acquired through a donation to the Foundation. It features a history of the project, photos of both the museum artifacts and all of the new art by photographer Andy Snow and quotes from many of the artists.
Each museum piece in the book has brief text explaining why it was chosen as an inspiration piece for a particular neighborhood.
How it worked
Jayne Klose, the library’s Community Engagement Manager, has been intimately involved with the project since its inception as project manager. Representing the DAI as project managers were Jane Black and Susan Anable, who also worked on the book.
One of the goals was to get the community involved; another was to have the artwork reflect the neighborhood in which each of the branches was located.
“We gave the DAI a bit of background about each library’s specific community and about the architecture of that particular library that might help give them guidance.”Klose said. “And then they picked 8-10 options from the museum’s collection. We had assembled an art committee that would then walk through the museum and narrow down the choices that would be used for inspiration.” Serving on the committee were art experts Eileen Carr, Kweku Larry Franklin Crowek Shayna McConville, Olabisi Olakolade and Davd Rice.
Once the five art pieces had been selected, display boards were placed at each library, giving patrons the opportunity to vote there or online. The two art objects with the most votes were chosen to inspire the local artists.
Anable said sometimes the connections were straightforward such as the Rockwell Kent work “Endless Energy for Limitless Living. ” She said it was the perfect choice for Miamisburg because it references the Mound atomic energy plant. Another was a unique glass piece, “ Celebration, “ which references all the manufacturing innovations discovered by people living in Kettering.
Once the inspiration pieces had been chosen, artists were invited to submit their ideas: how would they use these inspiration pieces to create new artwork for a particular branch?
“The architects for each building participated as well so that designated spaces and lighting for the art would be integral to the design of the building,” Kambitsch said. “It wasn’t an afterthought.”
“The response was overwhelming and so exciting!” said Klouse. “By the end we were averaging 20-30 proposals for each location. We chose artists from the Miami Valley, several from Cincinnati and Columbus, from Toledo and Cleveland. Some artists, like Amy Kollar Anderson and Darren Kall, ended up creating art for more than one branch.”
Kevin Harris, who teaches drawing, printmaking and digital media at Sinclair Community College, submitted five different concepts for the West branch. The DAI’s inspiration pieces for that library were a 20th century mask from the Bwa people of Burkina Faso, West Africa and a painting, “Cantata,” by African-American abstract expressionist Norman Lewis.
“I appreciated the challenge,” said Harris, whose mother was a children’s librarian and said he grew up in libraries. He began his digitally created mural by sketching out ideas and visiting the DAI several times to look at the painting and mask. “I was interested in how the mask would be used in practice,” Harris said. “A lot of times we see static objects but a mask would actually be used in a masquerade or a dance. So to get a better understanding I looked up videos of dance online, how masks were used. My piece, ‘Domain of Do,’ tries to capture that sense of motion. It is an abstract interpretation of Bwa masqueraders dancing in a rainbow-lit landscape. “
Credit: @ANDY SNOW 2020
Credit: @ANDY SNOW 2020
A completed project
Visit all of the libraries and you’ll see a wide range of materials and processes – oil paintings and glass mosaics, digital photographs on metal and fused glass, collage and fabric, woodcuts.
In most cases, the new art was introduced to the community at a grand opening for each of the new libraries; artists were present to chat with the crowds. Each artwork has a label that talks about the piece and the artist and also shows the original inspiration image from the museum.
There’s cross promotion at the DAI as well. Spot one of the inspiration pieces and you’ll be encouraged to see the artwork reimagined at a specific library. The hope is to inspire people to visit the libraries and inspire people who haven’t been to the DAI to do so.
Debi Chess, the library system’s director of external relations and development, said people absolutely love the art and that it accomplishes exactly what public art should do. “It should expose everybody to thoughts and ideas and fantasies. What better place to do that than a library where people go to be inspired and to inquire? And to have the work of local artists is magnificent!”
-----------------------------------------------
“Reimagining Works” is available at all Dayton Metro Libraries. Beginning March 5, a copy of the book can also be obtained for a donation of $50.00 or more to the Dayton Metro Library Foundation. To order, contact Debi Chess: dchess@daytonmetrolibrary.org
Credit: Andy Snow
Credit: Andy Snow
About the Author
