Art at Woods
Second Floor/Copy Print Station
Art Colony/Saugatuck by Aaron Bohrod (1907-1992)
Part of the “Michigan on Canvas” collection of nearly 100 paintings which was sponsored by the
J. L. Hudson Company and intended to show all phases of life in our state,
Art Colony/Saugatuck depicts one of the largest art colonies in the Midwest in the 1940s. The
artist, Aaron Bohrod, was a noted realist painter. He was the recipient of two Guggenheim
Fellowships and also served as artist-in-residence at the University of Wisconsin for twenty-five
years.
Second Floor/Nonfiction Interior Wall
Book of Kells
This limited edition set of prints from the Book of Kells was produced in Ireland during 1995 by
permission of the Board of Trinity College, Dublin. All three prints elaborately illustrate themes
from the four Gospels of the New Testament.
The individual titles are:
“Christi Autem Genratio” which illustrates the first time Jesus appears in the Bible.
“Portrait of St. John”, one of the twelve apostles depicted with a glorious halo.
“Symbols of the Four Evangelists” representing clockwise from top left: Matthew, the
winged man; Mark, the lion; John, the eagle; and Luke, the ox.
Second Floor/Study Room
Three untitled prints by Edgard Yaeger (1904-1997) include a painting of a woman dated 1985,
a Noel Print 56/100 dated 1988, and a flower print 37/100 dated 1983.
The artist, Edgard Yaeger, spent the majority of his life in Detroit as a painter. During his
lifetime, he lived and worked in relative obscurity, yet now he is considered an unheralded
master among twentieth century modernists. His paintings, drawings, and legendary murals
are displayed throughout Michigan, including murals commissioned for Detroit’s Broadhead
Academy, the Detroit Public Lighting Commission Building, Grosse Pointe South High School,
and the University of Michigan.
Second Floor/Dictionary Stand
A Moment to Reflect by Sylvia Marciniak (1936?-2005)
First Floor/Juvenile
The Carousel By Sylvia Marciniak (1936?-2005)
These two pastel drawings were created with color pencil by Sylvia Marciniak, a native of
Grosse Pointe. After earning her master’s at the University of Michigan, she studied at the
American School for Art in Fountainebleau, France. She returned to Michigan and taught at
both the Detroit Public Schools and Macomb Community College, inspiring legions of new
artists to pursue their dreams. Both pieces were donated in her honor by the Olgiati family to
the Grosse Pointe Woods library, where she was a frequent patron.
Art at Ewald
Alphabet Sculpture by Valerie Mann (1967- )
Installed in the youth section of the Ewald branch in 2010, the Alphabet Sculpture presents the
letters of the alphabet in various styles and textures, bringing each letter to life with its own
unique personality with lively colors and unusual materials such as fake fur. The artist, Valerie
Mann, earned her Master’s in Fine Arts from Michigan State University and has been working
and exhibiting in the United States and Canada for over twenty years.
Au Train Falls by Joe Jones ????
Enrichment by Doug Chick (1954-2010)
This 8 by 3 foot bronze relief hangs in the youth room of the Ewald library, above the children’s
computers. Cast in a single mold, it was inspired by the adventure and fantasy of reading and
learning. The artist graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a Fine Arts degree and
taught sculpture at the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center. His uplifting and spiritual sculptures
can be seen in other libraries in Michigan including Troy and West Bloomfield, as well as in
churches and schools.
Cursive Spirit by Jeanne Bieri (birthdate?)
Inspired by learning and by the organic form of the frieze on the library’s north wall, this large
scale acrylic and linen installation was completed in 2007 for the Ewald Library in Grosse Pointe
Park. The artist, who received her Masters in Fine Art from Wayne State University, lives in
Grosse Pointe and taught at the University of Michigan (Dearborn), Wayne State University, and
Henry Ford Community College. She has exhibited throughout Michigan and the Midwest,
including shows at Detroit Contemporary, the University of Michigan, and the Scarab Club.
The Meeting Place, Louise Captein (birthdate?)
The Meeting Place is a colorful, energetic oil painting which, like all of the artist’s paintings, is
an exact replica of her paper collage sketches, assembled and rearranged in an experimental
style. Captein was born and raised in the Netherlands and studied in Amsterdam before
moving to the United States. She is an Associate Professor of Painting and Drawing at Otterbein
University in Ohio and has exhibited in Ohio, Massachusetts, New York, and Florida.
Polar Bear, and Untitled by Hua Nian (already have biographical info on current webpage)
Unveiling by Sara Dykstra (1979-)
Sara Dykstra received her BFA from the Maryland Institute, College of Art and taught in the
Continuing Education and Young Artists Program at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit.
Besides her commission for the Grosse Pointe Public Library, she also completed a commission
for the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire where she created over 100
paintings for the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Her mural-like oil painting in the Storytime room
at the Ewald Library depicts storybook characters in familiar Grosse Pointe settings, including
Patterson Park and the Village.
ART AT CENTRAL
I think that most of the artwork is already on the webpage, but James gave me a list from
Kathleen of the sources of artwork in the children’s room. Going from left to right, the
illustrations are from:
How the Tsar Drinks Tea by Benjamin Elkin ILLUSTRATED BY ANITA LOBEL
Hunting the White Cow by Tres Seymour ILLUSTRATIONS BY WENDY ANDERSON HALPERIN
Apple Tree Christmas STORY AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY TRINKA HAKES NOBLE
The Kitchen Knight by Margaret Hodges ILLUSTRATIONS BY TRINA SCHART HYMAN
Sing Pierrot Sing STORY AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY TOMIE de PAOLA
Paper John STORY AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY DAVID SMALL
Plus there is the painting in the kid’s room that I think was in memory of Helen Gregory? Not
sure!