Lowry Trios
Denver Public Art 1%
2001.3.1
Artist's Statement
In Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, one definition of the word "hearth" is "a vital or creative center". For the Schlessman Library Project, the proximity of the fireplace to the art was my identifying concern. I imagined a group of family portraits arranged over a mantle; a gathered community in one sense, yet each retaining its own individual characteristics. While a viewer of the mural might initially gravitate toward a particular image or images, repeated viewings will gently reveal connections that unite all of the images, knitting them together into a "vital and creative" collective. For myself, this seems an ideal aspiration for all libraries.
In Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, one definition of the word "hearth" is "a vital or creative center". For the Schlessman Library Project, the proximity of the fireplace to the art was my identifying concern. I imagined a group of family portraits arranged over a mantle; a gathered community in one sense, yet each retaining its own individual characteristics. While a viewer of the mural might initially gravitate toward a particular image or images, repeated viewings will gently reveal connections that unite all of the images, knitting them together into a "vital and creative" collective. For myself, this seems an ideal aspiration for all libraries.
Stephen Batura (was created by)