Central Library's renovation wins awards

Yes, our own Central Library's stunning renovation is garnering awards and accolades:

-- We are one of 13 honorees of the Landmarks Association of St. Louis' Most Enhanced Buildings of 2013.  The Landmarks Association description concludes, "This building is both an architectural and civic treasure and it stands as a shining example of how an institution can accommodate the current and future needs of its mission while respecting and honoring its architectural legacy."
Among other winners are such well-known structures as the "Flying Saucer" building on Grand, the Metropolitan Artist Lofts, Cupples Building #9, and the Cheshire Inn restaurant.
To see the entire list, visit this link: http://www.landmarks-stl.org/enhanced_and_endangered/2013_most_enhanced

--We are one of six winners of the Library Building Awards, a prestigious national award given jointly by the American Institute of Architects and the American Library Association.  Comments from the jury included:  "The blend of old and new is simply masterful".

Latest acquisitions

As we rush headlong towards summer, don't forget to check out some great new arts and crafts books!  These have just come in....

Reference

American Folk Art; A Regional Reference  by Kristin G. Congdon

Freeman-McFarlin Pottery, 1951-1980  by Nancy Kelly

Travel Guide to Antique Shops & Malls, published by AntiqueWeek

 

Art History / Art Theory 

Atlas:  The Reader  by Gerhard Richter 

Balinese Art; Paintings and Drawings of Bali, 1800-2010  by Adrian Vickers 

Kienholz / Five Car Stud, exhibit catalog of the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art 

Silver Wind; The Arts of Sakai Hoisu  by Matthew McKelway 

Tokyo 1955-1970: A New Avant-Garde, exhibit catalog of the Museum of Modern Art, New York

 

Architecture / Planning / Landscape Architecture 

George Washington’s Eye: Landscape, Architecture, and Design at Mount Vernon  by Joseph Manca

James Stirling, Revisionary Modernist  by Amanda Reeser Lawrence 

Original Copies: Architectural Mimicry in Contemporary China  by Bianca Bosker 

Sourcebook of Contemporary Urban Design  by Francesc Zamora Mola

 

Design / Interior Decoration / Graphics / Fashion 

Chinese Label Art, 1900-1976  by Andrew S. Cahan 

Eero Saarinen ("Objects and Furniture Design by Architects" Series) 

Interiors and the Legacy of Postmodernism  by Terry Farrell 

New Icons of Fashion Illustration  by Tony Glenville 

Sustainable Fashion Handbook  by Sandy Black

 

Crafts / Applied Arts / How-to Books 

Art Marketing 101, 4^th edition  by Constance Smith 

Creative Paint Workshop for Mixed-Media Artists  by Ann Baldwin 

Decorative Stained Glass Designs  by Louise Mehaffey 

Encaustic Studio: A Wax Workshop in Mixed-Media Art  by Daniella Woolf 

New Markets for Artists  by Brainard Carey  

The Workshop Guide to Ceramics  by Duncan Hooson

 

 

Antiques / Collectibles 

Catalina Island Pottery and Tile, 1927-1937  by Carole Coates 

Mediterranean Maiolica  by Robert Attard 

Portmeirion Pottery  by Will Farmer

 

Who are those bronze heads guarding the CFR door?

If you’ve wondered about the two bronze busts on either side of the south entrance to Central’s Center for the Reader, here is the scoop.  To the left stands the bust of the Reverend John C. Learned, made in 1894.  Learned (1834-1893) was a beloved and admired Unitarian minister, serving as the first pastor of the Church of the Unity (now First Unitarian Church) from 1870 until his death.  He was also President of the St. Louis Public Library Board from 1887 to 1892.  The artist of this bust was St. Louis sculptor Robert Porter Bringhurst (1855-1925).  Bringhurst was well-known nationally, was among the founders of the St. Louis Artists Guild, operated the Ozark Pottery Company, and taught at the St. Louis School of Fine Arts.  He also designed many sculptures for the Louisiana Purchase Exhibition (World’s Fair) of 1904. 

 
On the right is a bust of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain), created in 1915 by Pittsburgh sculptor Frank Vittor (1888-1968).  This bust has an interesting history.  It was donated to the library in 1936 by the International Mark Twain Society, an organization founded by Cyril Clemens, a distant cousin of Mark Twain.  Cyril had signed up every famous person that he could and listed them as friends, sponsors, or donors.  Cyril claimed that funds to purchase this statue were donated by Benito Mussolini, then emerging as the dictator of fascist Italy, but also a Mark Twain fan.  Cyril later dropped Mussolini’s name from the Society. 

Celebrate Spring (at last?!) with these new arts/crafts books

Since Central Library re-opened, this department now carries the craft and arts how-to books that were previously elsewhere.  We are trying hard to beef up that collection with new and useful titles, and hope it fills the needs and wants of our crafty patrons!  See the rather long list below.

Reference

The Official Museum Directory 2013 

Standard Catalog of World Paper Money 1961-Present,  18th Edition

Warman's Antiques & Collectibles 2014,  47th Edition

Art History / Art Theory

African Cosmos: Stellar Arts  by Christine Kreamer

Bamum  by Christraud M. Geary

Dyeing Elegance: Asian Modernism and the art of Kuboku and Hisako Takaku  by Sonya Quintanilla

George Seurat: The Drawings, exhibition catalog of the Museum of Modern Art, N.Y.

Italian Renaissance Maiolica  by Elisa P. Sani

Korean Lacquer Art: Aesthetic Perfection  by Patricia Frick

Luc Tuymans Graphic Works 1989-2012  by Luc Tuymans

Nam June Paik: Global Visionary  by John Hanhardt

New Technologies in Glass  by Vanessa Cutler

Richard Hamilton: The Late Works  by Christopher Riopelle

Wade Guyton OS  by Scott Rothkopf

 

Architecture / Planning / Landscape Architecture 

Building: Inside Studio Gang Architects  edited by Jeanne Gang & Zoe Ryan 

Frank Lloyd Wright: Force of  Nature  by Eric Peter Nash 

Herzog & De Meuron + Ai Weiwei Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2012 

Kenzo Tange: Architecture for the World  edited by Seng Kuan and Yukip Lippit  

Public Parks: The Key to Livable Communities  by Alexander Garvin 

Sverre Fehn: The Pattern of Thoughts  by Olaf Fjeld 

Town Planning in Practice: An Introduction to the Art of Designing Cities and the Suburbs  by Sir Raymond Unwin

 

Design / Interior Decoration / Graphics / Fashion 

African Textiles: Color and Creativity across a Continent by John Gillow 

American Furniture 2012 edited by Luke Berkerdite 

Comics Sketchbooks: The Private Worlds of Today’s Most Creative Talents  by Steven Heller 

The Soul of a Tree: A Woodworker’s Reflection  by George Nakashima

 

Photography 

Digital SLR Video & Filmmaking for Dummies  by John Carucci 

Gordon Parks: A Harlem Family 1967  by Gordon Parks

 

Crafts / Applied Arts / How-to Books 

Bead Necklaces: 13 Beautiful Jewelry Designs  by Susan Beal 

Colorwork for Adventurous Knitters  by Lori Ihnen 

Creating Handmade Cards Step by Step  by Cheryl Owen 

Draw and Paint 50 Animals  by Jeanne Filler Scott 

Drawing and Painting Animals  by Jonathan Truss 

Drop Earrings: 17 Sparkling Jewelry Designs  by Susan Beal 

Exquisite Embellishments for Paper Crafts  by Keri Lee Sereika 

Fair Isle Hats, Scarves, Mittens & Gloves: 7 Stunning Patterns to Knit  by Kathleen Taylor 

Get Started Knitting  by Susie Johns

Goldwork  by Helen McCook 

Jeweler’s Studio Handbook  by Brandon Holschuh 

Knitting in Circles  by Nicky Epstein 

Knitting Never Felt Better: The Definitive Guide to Fabulous Felting  by Nicky Epstein 

The Needlecraft Book  by Maggi Gordon 

Painting with Pastels  by Jenny Keal 

The Perfect Basket: How to Make a Fabulous Gift Basket for any Occasion  by Diane Phillips 

The Practical Step-by-Step Guide to Making Pop-ups & Novelty Cards  by Trish Phillips 

Prints: 50+ Designs and 20 Projects to Get You Started  by Heather Ross

 

Antiques / Collectibles 

Insider’s Guide to U. S. Coin Values, 20^th edition,  by Scott A. Travers

Official M. J. Hummel Price Guide  by Heidi Ann von Recklinghausen