Cook Memorial library board resists Libertyville branch mural proposal

A proposal to paint a mural at the Cook Memorial Public Library District's Libertyville facility met with resistance from the library board Tuesday.

Library officials were appreciative of artists Maya Lowry's and Mark Melnick's desire to paint a colorful, wall-sized mural in the children's department of the library, which is undergoing a $7 million expansion and renovation. But they expressed concerns about the size of the proposed artwork, its potential cost and library rules that prohibit artistic installations.

Other artists have expressed interest in contributing art to the library, too, board member Karen Broms said.

"Out of respect for all of them, we need to hear everyone equally," Broms said.

Lowry and Melnick work is Las Vegas, but Lowry has Lake County ties. She's a Libertyville High School graduate and her mother, Bungy, is a senior processing clerk with the library district.

Bungy Lowry and a friend of the artist, Linda Paulus, spoke to the library board about the mural Tuesday night during a meeting at Cook Memorial's newly opened Aspen Drive library.

The artists are seeking a formal commission for the mural and haven't offered to donate their time. However, Maya Lowry has volunteered to help raise money for the project, Paulus said.

The mural's potential cost - originally estimated at more than $9,000 - was a concern for Broms.

"(We) haven't discussed commissioning art in any way," she said. "We have a fixed budget."

Paulus said Lowry is "very excited about this project" and the thought of creating public art for library patrons.

Library board members, however, said the mural Lowry and Melnick have proposed would be partially blocked by shelves planned for the children's department. Paulus presented an option that would replace those shelves with free-standing units that wouldn't block the art, but officials said they'd need to talk with their architect about that idea.

"We don't even know if we can redo the shelving," board President Bonnie Quirke said.

Board member Wendy Vieth said she liked the idea of having an original mural on display, but not at the expense of the library's collection. She said she'd prefer a scaled-down piece of artwork, something trustees already have suggested to the artists.

"I'd rather have 300 more books on display and something smaller," Vieth said.

Libertyville resident Anne Stranberg, who said she was a friend of Lowry's, spoke in favor of changing the shelving to accommodate the artwork.

"You have shelves all over (the library)," she said. "You don't have art all over."

Quirke recommended the panel's development committee reconsider the plan and personally discuss it with Maya Lowry during an upcoming visit. That meeting has been tentatively set for 6:30 p.m. Aug. 2.