Books aren’t the only thing you’ll discover in the Children’s Room. When you arrive through the ground floor entrance, you’ll pass through the 41 School Street Gallery, a stairwell space dedicated to children’s art. The current exhibit, Leaf Impressions, features work by Adams School students in their art class with Mr. Webner. Students work en plein air (French for in the open air), capturing fleeting moments in Nature. The students used pencil and then watercolor to incorporate the color of the fall season.

At the bottom of the stairs is artist Tom Barrett’s In the Center Ring, a fantastic tower of circus animals in vibrant colors.
We are pleased to announce the latest addition: a large a three-dimensional mural located over the librarian’s desk. The project, funded by the Friends of the Witherle Library, is the work of Basha D. A. Olson, a prominent, local multi-media sculpture artist. (This fall, we acquired Basha’s bronze sculpture, Tweet Mistress, on display in the Reading Room.)

Olson carved two whales out of circa 1790’s wood from the Ashton House on Dyer Lane in Castine. The whales are 60 and 20 feet long respectively. They are installed on a wall painted blue with gradations to show the depth of the water and then glazed to create a flow between the colors. This technique adds faint crepuscular rays at the top of the wall creating the illusion of sunshine coming through the water.

Early reviews have been outstanding. Please stop by the Children’s Room to see this remarkable new artwork.