In the fall of 2007, three new art works by York students were mounted in Scott Library. The arrival of these pieces was the outcome of the 2007 version of a program developed in collaboration with the Faculty of Fine Arts to commission art for the Libraries by upper-year students in the Faculty.  The Libraries are proud to showcase the artistic talents of York students while aesthetically enriching library public spaces.

Under this program, coordinated by Visual Arts Professor Emeritus Bruce Parsons, students are invited in the spring to propose art for specific sites chosen in advance by the Libraries.  The students winning the commissions available are awarded funding to cover their costs and provide them with an honorarium.  The successful students work over the summer and the completed pieces are exhibited thereafter in the library for a limited time. 

The first piece, “(after Claude Cajun) Intervention”, was created by photography major Maeve Hanna, (BFA 2007) while on an exchange program at the University of Leeds, UK.  Claude Cajun was a well known French actor and performance artist in the 1930’s.

The 5’x 5’ black and white panels of the photographs are placed on the wall behind the circulation desk and the work is one of the first things people see when entering the Scott Library.

Although placed in a library, the person in the pictures is not engaging in the usual activities expected in a library setting—studying or reading. Rather, she appears to be hiding under the desk, standing on the carrel, balancing on stacks of books. In her submission to the selection committee Ms. Hanna notes of her work, “The images work by emphasizing a new way to negotiate and inscribe a body into a space which is ordinarily used in a much more conventional manner.”

By having these unconventional approaches to library usage located so near to the entrance of the library, the artist observes that students entering the building may need to re-examine the typical and conventional approaches to behaviour in a library setting. Ms. Hanna feels that her display complements the educational aims of a university to stimulate new thinking and new ideas.

(after Claude Cajun) Intervention —M. Hanna

The second art work is also situated on Scott’s first floor, in the general study area beyond the Reserve desk. The collection of 30 panels of some120 images, entitled “Fragments of Memory” is the work of Mark Small, (BFA 2007), who concentrates primarily on printmaking.

These coloured symbols range from texts (hand written and printed) to street signs, to real or stylized pictures of animals, to everyday items like combs…and even a noose. According to his submission, this grouping reflects the historical background of Mr. Small’s African-Canadian-Caribbean family; for example, the years shown are of special significance to his grandparents.

Taken as a whole, the designs are indicative of the shifting patterns, the ebb and flow of life’s journey that all must undertake.

Fragments of Memory — M. Small

The third work is located in Scott Library’s second floor reading room. It is the project of Patrick Kaipainen (BFA 2007) and is entitled “Books I’ve Never Read”. Patrick’s focus is on new media and installation art. The piece is based on an initial work in the economics section of the stacks, in which the artist took copies of Adam Smith’s famous economic treatise “The Wealth of Nations”, clamped them shut and locked them to shelves in the Scott Library, preventing any would-be borrower from looking at the shelved items.

From there, Mr. Kaipainen assembled a package containing a copied treatise and a disposable camera; he sent several of these boxes to various world leaders and experts in the field of economics, including a request to each recipient that they chain or lock the volume to their desk and record the event with the camera, in the hopes they would return a pictorial document of their efforts to him. The work in the Reading Room consists of photographs of some of the letters and boxes sent to the leaders. According to his submission, Mr. Kaipainen’s exhibit examines some of the challenges for the modern world: issues around security, access to knowledge, documentation, art in the public sphere and unknown packets that arrive in the mail. The artist affirms that despite these threats, it is still possible to maintain meaningful political dialogues.

Books I've Never Read — P. Kaipainen

We hope that you enjoy these thought-provoking visual art pieces in the Scott Library on a future visit!

—Peter Duerr, Librarian