Artist Appreciation Month

The Crawfordsville District Public Library would like to encourage our patrons to learn more about the Arts, and the artists in our community during American Artist Appreciation Month. Take a moment to discover all the places art can be found in your life. The best place to begin is at your library. Whether you are interested in books or videos, explore all the possibilities currently on display on the second floor and always on our nonfiction shelves in the 700s (Arts and Recreations).

Learn about a brilliant young female painter living in New York City in Alexander Nemerov’s “Fierce Poise: Helen Frankenthaler and 1950’s New York” (921 Frankenthaler, H.). She was considered an Abstract Expressionist and can be considered the female counterpart of Jackson Pollack.

David J. Getsy takes on the tasks of organizing the works of “Scott Burton: Collected Writings on Art & Performance 1965-1975” (709.2 Burton). Burton was well-known in the 1980s for his shocking performance art, but his early work as an art critic, curator, and editor of ART News and Art in America, reveals a side of the arts that many do not see.

Jerry Saltz uses unforgettable essays, profiles, and art reviews to summarize the way dramatic events, social movements, and cultural norms have affected pricing standards and overall treatment of artists in “Art is Life: Icons & Iconoclasts, Visionaries & Vigilantes, & Flashes of Hope in the Night” (701.03 Sal)

“This is Gonna Hurt: Music, Photography, and Life Through the Lens of Nikki Sixx” (921 Sixx, N.) is a unique biography about life through the eyes of the artist. The author states that he hopes his book inspires someone to pick up a camera, write a poem or song, and take a change by following their dreams.

Judith Tick’s “Becoming the Jazz Singer Who Transformed American Song: Ella Fitzgerald” (921 Fitzgerald, E.) complies the history of an unstoppable musical force in a time when it was difficult to break glass ceilings.

“Reimagined Journeys: A Multidisciplinary Art Collaboration” (700.457 Canine) was organized by Lafayette based artist Bekki Canine. This lovely book is a showcase created by a musician, a painter, and 3 poets. Full of imaginative, color images accompanied by poems and originally presented to the flow of music.

Nicholas De Monchaux exposes the interwoven connections between fashion design and science in the “Spacesuit: Fashioning Apollo” (629.47 De). NASA’s first manned mission would have been impossible without the knowledge of America’s skilled textile workers.

“A Field Guide to American Houses” (728.0973 McA) by Virginia Savage McAlester explains American history through domestic architecture. This detailed book includes photographic examples, style histories, comprehensible diagrams, informative graphics, and likely includes a basic floor plan of your home.

Judith Dupré reveals the connections between time and memory, and analyzes the way we visually preserve a historical moment. “Monuments: America’s History in Art and Memory” (973 Dup) is a charming book that features over 250 duotone photographs, stories, illustrations, interviews with artists and architects, as well as a creative cover.

“Smashing Statues: The Rise and Fall of America’s Public Monuments” (725 Tho) mindfully written by Dr. Erin L. Thompson explores the history and cultural aspects of public opinion and discourse over monuments. She interprets and discusses why these monuments are valued by one group while being despised by others throughout our history.

CDPL supports the local arts and culture community in several ways beyond our reading materials and hands-on programs. We have a permanent collection of artworks by artists connected to the region that reaches back to the beginning of the library’s creation. Several of the pieces can be seen adorning the walls of our building any day of the week. We also house the special collection of the Art League of Montgomery County.

Consider enjoying the current artists’ exhibits in the Mary Bishop Memorial Gallery on the first floor. The gallery hosts 7-10 shows a year including 4 annual exhibits as well as local, regional, national, and international solo shows. We also have artworks on display within our exhibits and an annual community show at the Carnegie Museum. 

Stop by the Information Desk on the 2nd floor for assistance with finding these books or others. Take a moment to examine our creative collection of reading materials, or visit our activity table to create an Artist Trading Card.