GREENFIELD — After approximately three years and 700 hours of work, the Friends of the Greenfield Public Library unveiled a new sculptural kiosk on Wednesday.
The kiosk, which was sculpted, painted and sanded by a group of local artists that includes Steve Roberto, Samantha Bachini and Danielle Lucier, will serve as “a public space that the Friends will use for outreach, to advertise our events and programs, and as a hub of fundraising activities,” said Celine Nader, vice president of the Friends.
Friends member Paul Jablon explained that a few years ago, when the new library was being designed, the Friends group was asked to give up its space to make room for a Local History Room. The group gladly agreed, but members still wanted a place to highlight their initiatives. Then the idea of a kiosk was born.
“As the committee developed ideas and sketches, we meditated on how these concepts and the mission, values and goals of the Friends, in tandem with those of the library, might be embodied by a sculpture, a bold presence for the Friends,” Nader said.
The final result was a three-dimensional wooden sculpture of the Friends’ logo — two green hands holding an open book. In front of that, library visitors will observe a group of outstretched hands made from different types of wood in various shades, which wood carver Steve Roberto said was designed to represent diversity.
Roberto said he and his wife have been involved with the Friends since 2005, and they have loved working with the “amazing bunch of volunteers” to raise money to support library programming. He joked that he got “roped into” the sculpture project after the Friends learned he was a contractor with experience in woodworking.
He hand-carved a chunk of cedar wood to look like an open book, inspired by the Friends’ logo.
“What I wanted to do was represent that image in a three-dimensional way,” Roberto said.
Bachini, meanwhile, created the templates for the life-size hands in front of the book, which were made from a mix of six different types of wood and were sanded by Friends member Andy Rothschild.
Lucier was then tapped to paint the words “Friends of the Greenfield Public Library.”
“Like Danielle Lucier’s recent exhibit, it’s not a stretch to say this project is also a love letter to Greenfield, and to the library,” Nader said, referencing the name of Lucier’s summer exhibit at Artspace Community Arts Center.
Nader thanked the volunteers for their work in making the project a reality and said the kiosk will be used for years to come to let people who walk through the doors of the library know about the Friends’ initiatives. Currently, the kiosk is housing information about the Taste of the Towns Raffle, and how people can purchase tickets for a chance to win gift cards to various Franklin County restaurants.
“This group of volunteers we recognize here tonight has demonstrated vision, collaboration and dedication to the library and community, ” Nader said. “And sanding prowess.”
