Client: Cleveland Public Library

Overview

Art Wall Installation commission by the Cleveland Public Library (CPL) as part of their public art initiative “SEE ALSO”. The term “See Also” is derived from a library cataloging term for “look here.” The program brings innovative and thought-provoking works of art to branches at the Cleveland Public Library. The artwork complements the library’s broad range of cultural programming. The artwork is located at CPLs South Brooklyn Branch. The 10 x 30 foot art wall is printed on vinyl and attached to a aluminum frame. The artwork will stay up from August 2022 to August 2023. Each year a new artist will be commissioned at this location.

Goals

CPL has made it a mission to bring public art into the community at their main Library location and branches across the city with their public art initiative SEE ALSO, a library cataloging term for “look here”. CPL’s Director of Community Engagement tasked the nonprofit LAND STUDIO to manage the program and present artists to be considered for selection for the South Brooklyn Branch Location. Feedback about my selection was they liked the vibrancy and color of my work and because other locations had representational art, they wanted this location to be abstract. The library branch is located at a busy intersection where two heavily trafficked roads intersect at angle. This angular intersection forms a triangular property where the branch was built. At the acute angled point of the property the building is truncated leaving a large wall facing a small plaza area. The face of this wall, in brown brick has no windows and has a reputation for being an unattractive feature of the building, making it an ideal location to bring art into the local community to not only enhance the building but enhance its surrounding environs.

Process

The agreement covering artwork design creation and development was to submit three draft images for artworks whose final size with be 10 x 30 feet to be selected from of which they chose QUADRATALUX. They liked its playfulness, bold use of color and optical energy the director saying “It’s just what they were hoping for when they selected me for the project”. I provided the final ready to print pdf digital file at high resolution ensuring that the large scale artwork would be crisp in detail, an advantage of my work being created digitally. The artwork was printed on vinyl on a uv curing printer designed for commercial applications to protect the vibrant color from fading for the year it would be in place. The printed artwork is attached to a minimalistic aluminum frame system designed to attach large wall banners. The aluminum frame is now a permanent fixture on the building. My artwork will stay up from August 2022 to August 2023. Each year CPL will commission a new artwork at this location.