Although it’s highly specialized, the Lloyd Library continues to find ways for non-specialists to engage with their collection.
In July, book artist Kate Kern served as artist-in-residence at the Lloyd Library, funded by a grant from the Ohio Arts Council. The library invited local educators, scientists, students, artists, librarians and others to take part in Kern’s residency program. Thirteen works of art, made mostly — and remarkably — by non-artists, now represent the workshop participants in The Alternative Field Guide, on view in the Lloyd’s gallery through Dec. 30.
In her artist’s statement about the program, Kern wrote that she “was thinking of our participants as guides into the knowledge/memories/experience contained within the Lloyd Library and Museum. I saw each of us as entering the liminal space of the library and, while bravely following our own path, also creating a trail to guide others in their own search for connection and meaning.” The interactions between the books and creators are diverse, ranging from emotional to intellectual to spiritual.
Outside the gallery, the library has displayed the original books that inspired each artist, accompanied by their artist statements. This not only offers a glimpse into each participant’s creative process and synthesis of ideas, but also gives a taste of the library’s diverse holdings.
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