When Tova Speter and Lily Weitzman began discussing ideas for creating a community art installation in celebration of Newton Free Library’s 150th anniversary, they knew they were on the same page when they came up with the idea for “Leaves in the Library.”
Weitzman – the Library’s manager of programs and communication – and Newton artist Speter are spearheading a collaborative project that involves community participation during upcoming workshops and visits to the Library. The piece will be put on display on March 15, as the final event in the Library’s sesquicentennial anniversary festivities.
“I think it’s really exciting that the piece will be there at the culmination of the celebration,” said Speter, who works as a community muralist, art educator, and art therapist.
There are layers of symbolism in the project, starting with its name, since leaves are synonymous with pages.
Imagining a library “as a forest of books,” Speter said that through this project visitors will help create hundreds of colorful, leaf-shaped cutouts that will be used in the piece. The fact that the elements are made of paper also connects the installation to the library.
Participants first choose a color to correspond with their favorite literary genre – for example, mystery is red and nature is green. They then use watercolor, crayons, or dot markers to decorate their paper leaf or leaves in that shade. When finished coloring, artists are encouraged to write the name of their favorite book from that genre on the cutout.
“It just felt like a really fun and vibrant part of the project,” said Weitzman.
The final piece will “be both beautiful and a way to connect with other people” after reading their book recommendations, said Speter.
“The whole library is about community,” she said, adding that participating in the creation of “Leaves” provides an opportunity for the public to contribute directly to the library.
Weitzman said the finished artwork will be displayed in the community room next to the Druker Auditorium from March 15 through the summer and then may go on hiatus to make room for a different exhibit.
How to participate
The public can join in the creation of leaf-shaped cutouts that will be incorporated into “Leaves in the Library” by taking part in one of three workshops offered by Speter at the Library:
- February 19 from 3:30PM-4:30PM for children in the Children’s Room
- February 19 from 7PM-8PM for teens in the teen area
- March 3 from 7PM-8PM. for adults in the Druker Auditorium
For those who cannot attend an upcoming group workshop and wish to include the names of their favorite books in the installation, there are colored leaves available at the front desk. Visitors are encouraged to pick a leaf and just add the title’s name.
In addition, people can record the names of books they love on this Google form.
The art reveal and final event for the Library’s 150th anniversary will take place on Sunday, March 15, from 2PM-3PM in the Druker Auditorium.
