In the daylight, the books will cast playful shadows, and in the evening, they will glow like lanterns with dark sky-compliant lighting within.
The design was greatly shaped by input from city commissions and the Flagstaff community. The Beautification and Public Art Commission provided valuable input on the public art and aesthetic elements, and focus groups provided input on the artistic design. Artist Maria Salenger was selected to create the public art element of the project, which features steel book sculptures, which will lead visitors along the pathway to the library entrance.
Salenger will create 45 book sculptures with Flagstaff’s history, culture and connections to the natural world in mind for her installation, titled “Touch Home, Reach Sky.” The books will incorporate illustrative cutouts that will feature imagery referring to astronomy and celestial bodies, ponderosa pine trees, sunflowers, dandelions, aspects of the railroad, Route 66, Flagstaff’s robust trail system and topography of the San Francisco Peaks. In the daylight, the books will cast playful shadows, and in the evening, they will glow like lanterns with dark sky-compliant lighting within.
The project team also met with the commission on inclusion and adaptive living to receive input and revise the inclusive design of the overall project. Among the updates recommended by the commission is a wider pathway, which gently slopes to the front door, making it easier for people who use wheelchairs to enter the library.
The construction may impact library services, including potential weekend closures; however, the goal is to continue to allow patrons inside the library building. Portions of library and Aspen Avenue parking may also be unavailable during certain periods of the project timeline. Please stay tuned for more detailed announcements about access.
The library is extremely excited to break ground on this project, to continue to support an inclusive community, and supply access to library information and services to all people. FBN
By Richard Tutwiler and MacKenzie Chase
For more information on this project, please contact the project lead, Jeremy DeGeyter, at jdegeyter@flagstaffaz.gov or 928-213-2706.
Authors Richard Tutwiler and MacKenzie Chase provided this column on behalf of the City of Flagstaff and the Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library.