Library lends a visual effect to the landscape

Ron Force suggested
The Seattle Times has a neat Story on the use of library green space as a sculpture garden.

\”New experiences are possible on a walk through the Kirkland Library, where the latest art exhibition, \”Sculptural Discoveries,\” took three years to assemble.

The works, all of which are from Sun Valley, are in Kirkland because of the community\’s desire to make something more significant out of a patch of grass on the roof of the library parking garage.

Ron Force suggested
The Seattle Times has a neat Story on the use of library green space as a sculpture garden.

\”New experiences are possible on a walk through the Kirkland Library, where the latest art exhibition, \”Sculptural Discoveries,\” took three years to assemble.

The works, all of which are from Sun Valley, are in Kirkland because of the community\’s desire to make something more significant out of a patch of grass on the roof of the library parking garage.

When the library opened in January 1995, the green space attracted the attention of Bill Ballantine, a Kirkland businessman and art patron, who devised the concept of using the space as a sculpture garden.


At the time, Ballantine was intrigued by how many artists have inventories kept in back rooms and how artists as well as the public might benefit by public showings. Since the sculpture garden opened later in 1995, dozens of exhibitions have been held. It was about three years ago, that Ballantine, who\’s on the library\’s sculpture committee, first saw works by Michael Zapponi, a Sun Valley sculptor who works in cast bronze and fabricated metal.


\”He wanted Michael to set up a show of his outdoor sculptures,\” said Karen Vance, who runs a fine-arts placement service from Bellevue, Idaho, near Sun Valley.


\”It took three years to finally come to this point,\” Vance said of the show.