On December 6th, scores of Palo Alto residents came out to attend the grand opening of the new Mitchell Park Library and Community Center, check out its LEED Platinum-certified design and explore all the new spaces for learning, fun and community building. But one of the coolest features of Mitchell Park is the dramatic and exciting new public art installations all over the complex. Many of the artists were on hand at the opening ceremony, and explained how their new work at Mitchell Park Library and Community Center is designed to engage citizens and celebrate Palo Alto.
The big white sculpture out front? “Arpeggio 5” is a new landmark on Middlefield Road
The biggest and most impossible to miss piece of new art is “Arpeggio 5,” by Bruce Beasley, an internationally recognized sculptor based in Oakland. Arpeggio 5, which is cut from a single 35-ton block of granite, was commissioned by the City of Palo Alto specifically to draw people to Mitchell Park’s entrance on Middlefield Road. “It’s an abstract piece that has some movement and dynamism. It was done for this space and evokes geology,” said Beasley.
The stone was was cut from a quarry in Fujian Province in China, and took six months to create. The interlocking rectangular shapes form an arch, and are anchored by an invisible concrete foundation that is as large as the visible sculpture to ensure it is seismically sound.
“Wise and Whimsey” owls provide seating, protection and a playful outdoor element
“Wise and Whimsey” owls by Brad Oldham. Photo courtesy of the City of Palo Alto.
Close to the building entrance is “Wise and Whimsey,” a set of playful owls created by Dallas-based artist Brad Oldham. The owls provide a seat to tired readers, and also serve as protective bollards, making this the first public art in Palo Alto ever to require crash testing! The stainless steel owls are filled with concrete weighing about 600 pounds.
Just above the entrance to the library, and extending both in and
“Cloud Forest” by Roger Stoller. Photo by Jim Migdal
outside the building is “Cloud Forest,” a stainless steel sculpture by Portola Valley-based sculptor Roger Stoller. Working closely with Group 4, the architecture firm that designed the Library and Community Center, Stoller’s work plays on the notion of the phenomenon of the microclimates created by the coastal redwoods found along Skyline Boulevard. The piece was conceived as a single design and then cut into pieces that were reassembled on both sides of the glass entrance to the library.
Panels by Mark Verlander for the Mitchell Park teen room are designed to mimic iphone covers. Photo by Jim Migdal
Inside the Community Center’s teen area is an installation by artist and designer Mark Verlander. Verlander, who is based in Montara, is best known for his work with partner Susan Verlander creating images for professional sports teams. For Mitchell Park, Verlander met with local teens to get inspiration for the panels, which reflect the experience of growing up in Palo Alto.
Featured in photo from left are artist Bruce Beasley, former commissioner Terri Acebo-Davis, public art program director Elise DeMarzo, former commissioner Ali Richter, and artist Greg Stoller. Photo by Jim Migdal.
