Love Letter to a Library
This project is a direct outcome of my residency with the City of Boston through its BostonAIR program. It would have not been possible without the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture, The Boston Art Commission, and the remarkable people at the Boston Public Library.
I learned about my city here.
I researched grants here.
I found a place to live here.
I met Warhol here.
I fell in love here.
I mourned my mother here.
This is my love letter to our library.
Public
Free to all
From the time I came to Boston back in 1980, the library, particularly the McKim Building, was a place of discovery, refuge, and solace. There, I learned about Sargent, met Andy Warhol, fell in love, and mourned loved ones. As I moved to various Boston neighborhoods, the branch libraries have allowed me to learn about my community and about myself as an artist and as a citizen. This project is my way of saying ‘thank you’ - to the library and its people for what they do for people like me every day
In addition, there are postcards that talk about the project and allow space for the viewer to write messages of remembrance. There are also Memory Books which allow for the people who interact with the library, whether as patrons, workers, or any other identity to record their memories of the place.