Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Ars urbi serviat - Public Art in Winston-Salem: If life is a blank book, shouldn't we put art in it?

Here is a link back to a post from another local blog Ars urbi serviat on an art program that the Forsyth County Public Library is currently promoting.

Ars urbi serviat - Public Art in Winston-Salem: If life is a blank book, shouldn't we put art in it?

The Forsyth County Public Library is kicking off its Summer Reading Program with a public community arts project that encourages kids and teens to "leave their mark" by writing, sewing, drawing, painting, and/or adding photographs and stickers to several bound books put together by library staff. Books can be checked out under several themes including "Memories," "Dreams," "Winston-Salem," "Love," and more.

A vital benefit of public art- why we all want it so much- is that the beauty it produces builds our community. It gives our city a sense of place and its residents a feeling of belonging. These books, though not quite so public, also create a community identity by recording the thoughts, emotions, and artistic expressions of our local residents. This collaborative art project will serve as an artistic expression of W-S in 2009 for years to come. Libraries are such great archives for this type of thing- we should really be thinking more about how we can inject our local community into our library.

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