Art in the Library
The Galvin Library is fortunate to have some interesting art works on exhibit. Below are descriptions and images of these works. The library also features the Kemper Room, a dedicated art gallery space.
Near
the main entrance of Galvin Library is a Terry Karpowicz sculpture entitled "Concurrence."
Along with three other sculptures, it was selected from a Navy Pier exhibition in
1999 by a group of IIT professors, administrators and students. Constructed from
various metals including cast iron, it serves as a convenient landmark when giving
directions to the library.
Hanging
in Galvin's foyer is a print of the Francis Apartments designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
and built in Chicago in 1895 for the Terre Haute Trust Company of Indiana. These
apartments are considered to be the second most influential Wright design of the
transitional period. Contrary to original assumptions, Wright discovered that tenants
were not insistent upon fancywork. Inspired by the need for a simple yet functional
domestic design, the success of the Francis Apartments was a milestone in Mid-West
apartment-house design.
Adjacent
to the print of the Francis Apartments is a print of the Lexington Terraces; a Frank
Lloyd Wright design commissioned by Edward Waller Jr. Ten years were invested in
the project from 1901-1909, and two locations on the South side of Chicago were
considered, but the buildings were never raised. Essentially the Terraces were planned
to be a multiple-housing idea comprised of two identical units of small flats, compressed
into a square, enclosing a landscaped court. Had they been constructed, the Lexington
Terraces would have been one of the largest domestic dwellings designed by Wright's
firm.
"A
Remembrance of and Tribute to the Card Catalog," designed by Sohair Wastawy, Dean
of Libraries and Tom Brock, Architect, is a glass on wood collage of card catalog
cards. Many of the cards on display are associated with IIT in some way. Cards referencing
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, David Boder, and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, as well as others
such as Richard Wright and Aristotle are represented. The collage is an affectionate
acknowledgement of the card catalog that served the university community for years,
but now has been replaced by the new breed of digital finding aides.
Outside of the group study suites on the lower level are five images created
by Amy Lee Segami using a technique known as Suminagashi (flow of ink). Suminagashi
is a process of painting on water practiced in secret by Japanese Shinto priests,
during the 12th century. Traditionally, a pattern of concentric rings decorated
the paper on which messages to the Shinto Gods were written. Applying her background
in fluid mechanics, Segami has transformed traditional Suminagashi into a contemporary
art form.
Hanging
from the ceiling over the stairway of the Galvin Library's main entrance, is a book
sculpture created by Scott McCarney, a book artist/designer based in Rochester,
NY. McCarney finds the book form to be the perfect medium for exploring his design
interests that stem from an academic background in photography and design, and a
love for the philosophic possibilities of sculpture. In addition to teaching at
the Summer Institute program of Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, he has been
a faculty member for over twelve years with Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass
Village, Colorado. He has lectured and taught in Australia, New Zealand, Mexico,
and South America. His artwork is also on display at the Yale University Library
and University of Southern Maine at Portland Library.
On
display on the second floor of the Galvin Library, are two large abstract paintings
by Spanish artist, Jordi Pallares. The medium used in both pieces is acrylic and
oil on canvas. Dr. Lajos Schmidt, an alumnus of IIT, donated these paintings.
In
the Kemper room, on the second floor of the library, are four original Barcelona
chairs, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for the 1929 World Exhibition in Barcelona.
Despite the Barcelona Chair's machine-made appearance, they were painstakingly handmade
in limited quantities. The compound curves of the chromium plated steel bars were
too complex to be fabricated except by hand. The connections in the Barcelona Chair,
demanded precision and accuracy. Among all of Mies' furniture, the Barcelona Chair
became a symbol of the new technological age and remains the hallmark of luxury,
elegance, and craftsmanship.
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