[SOA] (no subject)

[Anna Heran]

LLOYD LIBRARY AND MUSEUM RECEIVES ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE GRANT FROM OHIO
ARTS COUNCIL

Alternative Field Guide Created by Community Participants under the
Guidance of Local Artist Kate Kern

Exhibition Dates: September 13 through December 30, 2008

Opening Reception: Saturday, September 13, 4-6 p.m.

Through a generous grant from the Ohio Arts Council, Lloyd Library and
Museum was able to host an Artist-in-Residence program this past July.
Guided by local visual artist Kate Kern, Lloyd's choice for
Artist-in-Residence, community participants from a variety of local
institutions, organizations, and walks of life created marvelous
artworks, inspired by Lloyd's collections.  These will be brought
together in a public exhibition inventively titled Alternative Field
Guide by Kern.  The diversity of Lloyd's collections offered a vast
array of topics for the artists, who used resources on subjects such as
botany, travel and exploration, insects, historical medical treatments,
midwifery, shells, mushrooms, horticulture, and pharmacy.  The artworks
will be displayed in Lloyd's Art Gallery and a complementary exhibition
of a selection of books used as inspiration, including the name of the
participant, the title of their creation, and their artist's statement,
will be displayed in the Exhibition Alcove.

This exhibit will be the second display of newly-created original art to
use the Lloyd's scientific collections to demonstrate the natural
alliance between the visual arts and science, both of which are about
creativity and discovery.  The first exhibit was the 2003-2004 Mining
the Lloyd: Book Artists Reveal Secrets and Treasures from the Lloyd
Library and Museum for which regional and national book artists were
invited to explore Lloyd's collections and create a new bookwork
inspired by one of the hundreds of thousands books held by the Library.
What makes the Alternative Field Guide refreshing and unique is that the
creators were self-selected participants who are not widely-regarded as
artists and came from a variety backgrounds and professions.
Librarians, educators, gardeners, retirees, and young students all came
together to make art under the expert tutelage, outstanding assistance,
and inspiration of a professional artist.  Kern had previous knowledge
and experience at the Lloyd when she participated in the Mining the
Lloyd exhibit.  Of that participation, Kern wrote, "I was impressed by
the helpfulness of the staff and the aesthetic promise of the
collection."  She was, therefore, the perfect choice to guide community
participants and introduce them to the wonders of Lloyd's collections.

Lloyd Library's grant application was developed by the Residency
Planning Committee made up of Lloyd Director Maggie Heran, Lloyd
Archivist/IT Specialist Anna Heran, Art Academy Professor Gary Gaffney,
and Art Teacher Kathy Chabot.  The committee created an application that
received high marks from the Ohio Arts Council Review Panel, who singled
out its artistic, educational, and cultural merit, its innovative design
in bringing scientific research into the artistic realm, as well as it
being a new model for library/museum collaboration with the community.
During the planning period, the committee sent hundreds of letters
describing the project and inviting participation from educators,
scientists, students, artists, librarians, Lloyd Friends members, garden
clubs, and many other local individuals and organizations.  The plan was
well received and in December 2007 an informational meeting was held at
the Lloyd and attended by many potential participants.

Community support for the project was high.  Professor of Botany at
Miami University, Nicholas P. Money, wrote in his letter of support,
"The opportunities for communication between artists, scientists, and
all kinds of library visitors seem limitless, and this project is the
first step of an enduring outreach activity."  One of Lloyd's Friends
members, Professor of History Robert L. Woods, Jr. at Pomona College in
California, wrote, "The artistic reworking of seemingly historical,
scientific tomes, can only further creativity, the appreciation of the
compositional process, and a fuller involvement in the intersecting
worlds of books, manuscripts, photos and treatises."

The exciting artworks created and the exhibition in which they will be
displayed will have broad appeal and will be of great interest to many
people.  The public is invited to attend the opening reception and
exhibit, both free, to see a remarkable example of community art created
in and inspired by a scientific research library.  At the reception,
there will also be opportunities to meet Kate Kern and many of the
Residency participants.  For more information about the Lloyd Library
and Museum, see below.

The Lloyd Library and Museum, located at 917 Plum Street, downtown
Cincinnati, is a local and regional treasure.  The library was developed
in the nineteenth century by the Lloyd brothers-John Uri, Curtis Gates,
and Nelson Ashley to provide reference sources for Lloyd Brothers
Pharmacists, Inc., one of the leading pharmaceutical companies of the
period.  Today the library is recognized worldwide by the scientific
community as a vital research center. The library holds, acquires, and
provides access to both historic and current materials on the subjects
of pharmacy, botany, horticulture, herbal and alternative medicine,
pharmacognosy, and related topics.  Although our collections have a
scientific focus, they also have relevance to humanities topics, such as
visual arts and foreign languages through resources that feature
botanical and natural history illustrations, original artworks, and
travel literature, thereby revealing the convergence of science and art.
The Lloyd is open to anyone with an interest in these topics.  Free
parking is available for patrons and visitors behind the library
building.  For more information, visit the Lloyd website at
www.lloydlibrary.org.

Lloyd Library and Museum
917 Plum Street
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
513-721-3707
www.lloydlibrary.org
Open Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Open the third Saturday of the month, September through May, 9:00 a.m.
to 4:00 p.m.

Bringing Science, Art, and History to Life


Anna K. Heran
Archivist/IT Specialist
Lloyd Library and Museum and
Historical Research Center for the Natural Health Movement
917 Plum Street
Cincinnati OH 45202
(513) 721-3707
www.lloydlibrary.org
Because the past is the path to the future.