|
"We
could have given the clients what they initially asked for, but
instead we gave the idea further thought. The result was better
than any of us had expected. The clients wanted a bronze sculpture
of a child reading a book, to be placed in a new library. The sculpture
was meant to encourage children to read, but the clients also talked
about the legacy of reading and the love of books being handed down
from one generation to another. We promised them a 'menu' of possibilities
in a week's time. A menu is something we often do: ideas down the
left side of the page, prices down the right. At the bottom of the
menu was our newest and most expensive idea: a lifesize grandma
reading in a chair, with the grandma's lap itself being a chair.
The sculpture would be complete when a child or two sat on her lap
to 'read with grandma'. This is the sculpture they chose because
it embodied the idea of a legacy. To keep the price down, we made
her part of an edition. The librarian tells us, 'If there are children
in the building, someone is in her lap.' The little ones talk to
her and hug her goodbye. Even preteens sit there reading a book
while waiting for a ride home. Although grownups call her 'Legacy',
the children have their own names for her: 'mother', or 'the reading
lady', or other special names. She is a part of the Goshen Library
family, and much loved." - Tuck Langland |
