Jan

American Cultural Heritage: Public Libraries

by Meredith Mullins on January 25, 2016

One-room green library in Allensworth, CA, one of the public libraries showing America's cultural heritage. (Image © Robert Dawson.)

Library built by ex-slaves, Allensworth, California
© Robert Dawson

The Art of Getting on the Same Page

Shhh. No talking. Let the books and walls and shelves speak for themselves. If you’re quiet, you can hear the sound of knowledge. The call to adventure. The whisper of imagination.

It all happens at public libraries—a part of American cultural heritage that has opened so many doors, providing free access to information and the freedom to learn.

“It is a space ship that will take you to the farthest reaches of the universe, a time machine that will take you to the far past and the far future, a teacher that knows more than any human being, a friend that will amuse you and console you … and most of all, a gateway to a better and happier and more useful life.” —Isaac Asimov

An intergalactic tribute to books; The Main Library, Duluth, Minnesota. (Image © Robert Dawson.)

An intergalactic tribute to books at The Main Library, Duluth, Minnesota
© Robert Dawson

Open Doors

We all have memories of public libraries. Being read to during story hour as our littlest self. Checking out our first book as a child, proudly using our official library card, which seemed to give us instant status and new swagger to our step.

Seeking a cool spot on a hot summer afternoon or warmth during a winter snowstorm. Listening for the seductive sound of the approaching bookmobile. Wondering if we could ever, in our life, read all that the library had to offer.

A trailer library in Death Valley National Park, California, one of the public libraries of America's cultural heritage. (Image © Robert Dawson.)

A remote, shaded library in Death Valley National Park, California—the hottest place on earth
© Robert Dawson

Boundless Opportunity

Libraries are not just a democratic haven for reading. They are also community centers, temporary shelter for the homeless, cathedral-ceiling reading rooms and research hubs, tables full of accessible computers, literacy centers, and a place for people to learn and neighbors to meet.

Reading Room at the Main Library, Philadelphia, PA, one of the public libraries that shows America's cultural heritage. (Image © Robert Dawson.)

The Reading Room at the Main Library in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
© Robert Dawson

They exist in cities of millions and in a town of one person (Rudy’s library in Monowi, Nebraska.). They are one-room shacks in the middle of nowhere, brightly colored storefronts in shopping malls, and multiple layers of steel and glass in modern urban centers.

They are transformed from banks, hospitals, jails, churches, railroad stations, fish markets, gas stations, and nightclubs

The Ralph W. Yarborough branch library, Austin, TX, in an old theater, one of the public libraries that shows America's cultural heritage. (Image © Robert Dawson.)

Yarborough Branch Library in Austin, Texas is housed in an old theater.
© Robert Dawson

Inspiration for Imagination

They tell stories—from a history of George Washington’s overdue books checked out from The New York Society Library (returned 221 years later . . . not by George) to the vision of Kentucky librarians on horseback carrying books in saddlebags to rural areas.

They provide fuel for imagination and innovation, as a cast of dedicated founders, patrons, and librarians parade through history and as the libraries of today expand their collections to music, films, seeds, and tools.

First Carnegie Library, Braddock, PA, one of the public libraries that shows America's cultural heritage. (Image © Robert Dawson.)

The first Carnegie Library in Braddock, Pennsylvania
© Robert Dawson

A Creative Vision of Our Heritage

Where did I learn so much about America’s public libraries?

From photographer Robert Dawson, who brings public libraries to life in his book The Public Library: A Photographic Essay. He found their past and their present in his 18-year journey across America, learning their secrets and capturing their essence.

Interior, Evansville, IN, one of the public libraries that shows America's cultural heritage. (Image © Robert Dawson.)

The interior of the library in Evansville, Indiana
© Robert Dawson

He photographed hundreds of the 17,000 libraries in the U.S., traveling to 48 states. His odyssey confirmed his belief that libraries were symbols of democracy, and also were “great equalizers, tools of social justice to lift the poor and to provide equal opportunity.”

He clarifies his focus as “not just a study of architecture. It’s a look at the uses of libraries and their places in society—portraits of communities through the lens of the library. The public library in each of the places we visited spoke volumes about who we are as a people.”

Small library in Roscoe, SD, one of the public libraries that shows America's cultural heritage. (Image © Robert Dawson.)

The library in Roscoe, South Dakota, was built in 1932 by a group of civic-minded women.
It was one of the smallest public libraries in the nation.
© Robert Dawson

Through Robert’s photographs and thoughtful text, as well as the essays that are included in the book (including words from Barbara Kingsolver, Anne Lamott, Isaac Asimov, Amy Tan, Ann Patchett, and Bill Moyers), I came away with a renewed appreciation for this enriching part of our cultural heritage.

Yellow Queens Library Bookmobile, one of the public libraries that shows America's cultural heritage. (Image © Robert Dawson.)

After Hurricane Sandy, the Queens Library Bookmobile was on the move (Rockaway, New York).
© Robert Dawson

I would especially like to see a sequel featuring the dedicated librarians. Anne Lamott describes these central characters as trail guides, capable of teasing out enough information about what someone is after to lead him or her on the path of connections.

Looking to the Future

I also came away with a commitment to making sure libraries don’t disappear. Robert saw much of this danger in his travels.

“I have always thought of public libraries as beacons of hope, and it saddened me each time I came upon a library that had been destroyed, either through natural disaster, neglect, or local economic collapse.”

Smallest library, now closed, Hartland Four Corners, VT, one of the public libraries that shows America's cultural heritage. (Image © Robert Dawson.)

The smallest library in the U.S. (in Hartland Four Corners, Vermont) is now closed.
© Robert Dawson

The reality is sad. Libraries are suffering from budget cuts every day, and many are closing. As librarian Dorothy Lazard says in her essay in the book, “libraries are the last outpost of community space.”

Although the lessons (and memories) were many for me in exploring the vastness of the public library system, the importance of public libraries in today’s society remains clear. My true Oh, I see moment was best summarized by T.S Eliot.

“The very existence of libraries affords the best evidence that we may yet have hope for the future of man.”

We should not let this valuable part of our cultural heritage die.

Here is more information about The Public Library: A Photographic Essay and Robert Dawson’s other photographic projects. To learn more about the authors who contributed to this book, see websites for Isaac Asimov, Barbara Kingsolver, Anne Lamotte, Bill Moyers, and Amy Tan

The Library of Congress has acquired all of Dawson’s public library photographs as a historic record.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Meredith Mullins 4 Comments

Cultural Heritage & Traditions/The World's Photography/USA

Dec

The Seasonal Sparkle of Cultural Differences

by Meredith Mullins on December 21, 2015

The always-surprising tree at the Galeries Lafayette department store in Paris
© Meredith Mullins

Holiday Traditions Around the World

The streets are strung with lights. The store windows are full of color, sparkle, and animated figures made to mesmerize the young and the young at heart. There are scents of evergreens, mulled wine, and cinnamon in the air.

Whether you’re celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, or Epiphany. Whether you’re commemorating Père Noêl, Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, the Three Wisemen, Sinterklaas, Befana, or the miracle of light. ‘Tis the season to be festive.

Meredith Mullins 2 Comments

Cultural Heritage & Traditions/Worldwide Sites

Dec

Global Citizens Face the Challenge of Climate Change

by Meredith Mullins on December 14, 2015

Ice chunk from Eliasson's Paris Ice Watch, an art work from one of the global citizens focused on climate change. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Hommage to the melting glaciers
© Meredith Mullins

COP21 Conference in Paris Brings Focus to the Future of the Planet

Climate change is insidious. Glaciers melt drop by drop, chunk by chunk. Ocean levels rise centimeter by centimeter. Temperatures climb slowly—we sense a warming trend but perhaps cannot see it as dramatic change unless we take a long-term look.

And then there are the more dramatic reminders. Floods. Storms. Droughts. Heat waves. Extinction of certain plants and animals.

The changes are difficult to see day by day, month by month, or even year by year—making the problem of climate change more difficult to bring to the world’s attention. It also makes the problem easy to ignore for those who choose to do so.

But, as global citizens, it is up to all of us to protect the future of the planet.

Signage with message to redesign the world, a poster from one of the global citizens focused on climate change. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Redesigning the World: Observe. Understand. Act
© Meredith Mullins

Putting the Spotlight on Climate Change

The Paris COP21 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change brought worldwide focus to the challenges and the possible solutions.

Delegates from nearly 200 countries worked long hours over the past two weeks to reach the final deal, announced on Saturday, December 12.

The agreement includes legally binding actions as well as voluntary actions focused on keeping global temperature increase “well below” 2C and committing at least $100 billion a year in climate finance for developing countries by 2020.

The work was lauded as a significant step toward saving the planet for future generations.

Paris metro poster, a message from one of the global citizens focused on climate change. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Paris metro posters focus on climate change.
© Meredith Mullins

Global Citizens Take Action

While delegates hammered out a plan, Paris as host city was filled with messages of support and urgency, and protests for faster, more ambitious solutions.

The “Oh, I see” moment? The issue of climate change is not just for government delegates behind closed doors. It is for everyone.

Artists from around the world created work to focus on greenhouse gas emissions, global warming, air pollution, and deforestation and to engage as many people as possible in the conversation.

Upward view of Shepard Fairey Earth Crisis, an art work by one of the global citizens focused on climate change. (Image courtesy of Galerie Itinerrance.)

Shepard Fairey’s “Earth Crisis” sphere at the Eiffel Tower
Photo courtesy of Galerie Itinerrance

Taking a Close Look

American artist Shepard Fairey (aka Obey in his street art life) collaborated with La Galerie Itinerrance in Paris to create a two-ton sphere that commanded the free space between the 1st and 2nd floor of the Eiffel Tower.

The giant globe, named Earth Crisis, looked like a cosmic mandala from a distance, with blue and green floral motifs that suggested the air, the sea, and harmony with nature.

As you moved closer, the message became clear. The sphere was covered with threats to the environment, including anti-oil symbols and slogans.

Shepard Fairey's Earth Crisis sphere suspended from Eiffel Tower, an art work by one of the global citizens focused on climate change. (Image courtesy of Galerie Itinerrance.)

On closer look, the challenges and solutions become clear.
Photo courtesy of Galerie Itinerrance

The illustrations also offered solutions, such as green energy, respect for ecosystems, and the call to action, “The future is in our hands.”

“I am not an alarmist,” Fairey explained. “But I think people must understand that we are facing a world crisis.”

Like any work of “street art,” Fairey wanted to “engage the public in conversation.” He wanted people to take a closer look at what is really happening on the planet.

Ice installation by Olafur Eliasson at the Pantheon in Paris, an art work by one of the global citizens focused on climate change. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Watching Ice Melt

Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson transported nearly 100 tons of glacial ice from Greenland to Paris. The 12 huge ice chunks had calved from the ice sheet and were floating in the ocean. He installed them in a circle in front of the Pantheon, like the face of a watch.

The title, Paris Ice Watch, encouraged viewers to see the beauty of the ice, to be aware of the ice melting (in the installation as well as in our colder climates), and to recognize that time is a critical factor in saving the planet from the effects of climate change.

Eliasson asked us to feel the smoothness of this material, to listen to it breathe, and to seek out the small air bubbles trapped inside for thousands of years (perhaps the purest air we have on the planet, he notes).

Protesters and ice installation at the Pantheon in Paris, an art work by one of the global citizens focused on climate change. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Shedding Light on Pollution

Air is invisible, so how do we know what microscopic materials may be floating around us affecting our health?

To help answer that question and to draw attention to the growing issue of pollution, American environmental artist Andrea Polli created a digital waterfall in Paris, cascading down the side of a building on the well-trafficked Avenue de New York.

Blue waterfall, Particle Falls, by Andrea Polli, an art work by one of the global citizens focused on climate change. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

The bright blue projection, called Particle Falls, is presented by the Mona Bismarck American Center and uses a nephelometer to measure pollution particles in the immediate environment, which are then translated into bursts of white and color.

The light show is a real-time alarm of the pollution levels in the area—a timely alert given rising pollution levels in Paris (and the world).

Turning the Eiffel Tower Green

For five days during COP21, the Eiffel Tower came alive with images of trees dancing over the iron work. The unique 1 Heart 1 Tree project gave new meaning to the term “going green.” The tower became a virtual forest of light.

Eiffel Tower with projected trees by one heart one tree, an art work by one of the global citizens focused on climate change. (Image © Jean Philippe Pariente.)

Belgian-Tunisian digital art pioneer Naziha Mestaoui designed this engaging participatory environmental project to coincide with the climate change conference.

Visitors were able to plant a “virtual” tree on the tower. For every virtual tree, a real tree was promised to be planted in one of the 1 Heart 1 Tree reforestation projects around the world. To complete the reality, a Google Earth file is sent showing where the actual tree was planted.

The attention to trees—both virtual and real—offered a vital reminder that the protection of forests is essential to combat the change in greenhouse effect and to ensure proper habitat for wildlife.

A Commitment to the Planet

COP21 has taken a critical step forward. Supporters call the Paris Agreement a “transformative diplomatic victory.”

However the real work is just beginning. And, as global citizens, we know that it is not just the governments of the world that have to step up. It is up to each and every one of us.

As Paris Ice Watch artist Eliasson said as he watched his beautiful ice melting, “We underestimate how amazing we are as people. We can fix this.” The planet is ours to save.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.