Posted by Candice on Friday, Apr 10, 2015
For over 30 years, the Iowa City Public Library has maintained the Art To Go collection--maybe you've seen it, stored in bins and along the walls that separate the Children's Room from the rest of the first floor. About half of this collection is made up of framed posters and prints of well-known works of art, and the other half is original works of art by local artists. Anyone with a library card can come in to the Library, browse the collection, and take home with them something beautiful and unique to decorate their walls with.
How do we add the original works of art to the collection? Each year the Library holds the Art Purchase Prize, a contest that invites local artists to submit their original works to be judged for purchase and inclusion in the collection. The budget for this comes from the Library Board of Trustees and the Friends Foundation. What about the artistic consideration and judgment? That comes from the Library's Art Advisory Committee, and that committee is looking for a few good people!
If you would like to be involved with this collection--to help select and provide art for our community to enjoy, while at the same time providing artists with a chance at some recognition and compensation--please think about serving on the Art Advisory Committee.
If you have questions or would like more details, please contact Candice Smith at csmith@icpl.org or 319-887-6031.
About the Author
I work at the Info Desk on the second floor, and I select books for the adult nonfiction collection. I have a degree in anthropology, which really helps in selecting...well...almost anything. I also manage the Art To Go collection of framed prints and original art, and the nonfiction DVDs.
What do you like to read?
In no particular order:... more
This was a really engaging, smart read! The story sucks you in right away, with the main character, Bodie, returning to her posh prep boarding school out East to teach some classes during an interim session, and dropping the news that while she was a student there her former roommate was murdered and it has never set easy with her. There are a few stories here: the events of the 90s when Bodie comes to the school, and a couple years later when the murder happens; the current day where students producing a podcast decide to reinvestigate the murder; the person who was convicted of the murder; and Bodie's own personal life in current day, where she and her husband live somewhat separate lives, and they both get caught up in the Me Too movement. Makkai deftly weaves them together, and is very nuanced in her approach to dealing with many aspects of the issues. All the while, Bodie's narrating the events of the book to someone she at first only refers to as You, a clever tactic that takes us along as she lays out her evidence that points towards who she thinks committed the murder. If you like your mysteries up-to-date and with a small side of that prep school/dark academia thrown in, this is for you! -Candice