Topanga Canyon Library Opens
Posted by Krystle Hudson on Jan 24, 2012 - 10:15:04 AM
TOPANGA CANYON—The City of Topanga Canyon celebrated
the opening of the Topanga Canyon library on Saturday, January 21 at 11 a.m. The
11,000 sq. ft. LEED Silver rating library serves as a unique addition to the
city. The library itself is designed to reflect literary and
artistic traditions to showcase a lifelong commitment to learning.
The library features an
11,048 sq. ft one-story elevated building, a central reading room and a children’s
area with a storytelling space. There is also a meeting room with a 62-person capacity,
a study room and a homework center. In addition, there is up-to-date computer equipment
and Friends of the Topanga Library Bookstore.
The newly opened Topanga Canyon Library. Photo courtesy of LA County Arts
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Roughly 30 local
artists contributed their creative artwork and ideas for this project.
Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky’s office offered additional funds for the project
and awarded commissions to four Topanga artists. The four artists chosen to create their original works
for the library were Matt and Paul Doolin, Norman Grochowski, Meagan Rice and
Jim Sullivan. These artists were picked due to their shared interest in the
environment.
Norman Grochowski’s “The
Spirit Is Like the Wind” consists of three monuments: nine-foot painted steel
flowers with petals as open books and two larger than life dragonflies that greet
visitors of the library along the outdoor terrace. The flowers, weighing 350 to
400 pounds apiece, were constructed of steel with pieces of broken ceramic
tiles. The dragonflies were made out of broken chinaware. There are six light
sconces shaped like creatures sprinkled along the interior walls of the
building.
Jim Sullivan's First Light. Photo courtesy of LA County Arts
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Jim Sullivan’s "First
Light" is a 5 X 8 tile rug that sits inside the main entrance of the
library and is made up of handmade unglazed tiles arranged within the pattern
of a flame. Sullivan chose this flame to signify knowledge and passion to
represent how the library’s collective intellect illuminates the world.
Meagan Rice has two
colorful sculptures that are located within the children’s section of the
library. "A Great Tale" features a
little boy sitting on a tree stump reading a book to his dog. "The Horse Reader" consists of a young girl
reading a book while lying on her pony’s back.
The last piece, entitled "Topanga View (with locals)" was
constructed by brothers Matt and Paul Doolin. The ceramic tile mural
depicts a realistic nature scene that is engulfed with Topanga’s wildlife
icons.
The original estimated
project cost for the library was $6.8 million. The library is located at 122 N.
Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Topanga Canyon. The library’s hours of
operation are Tuesday-Thursday from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m - 6 p.m.,
Saturday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. The library is closed on
Mondays.
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