Art Gallery Exhibit - February 2012
Lower Level
Works by:
Carol Plimpton
Carol Hess Plimpton has been a Cherry Hill resident for 40 years. She has had a lifelong interest in art. In the last few years she has concentrated on developing and sharing her art. Carol studies with Karen Titus Smith at Studio Classroom in Pemberton, NJ.
Carol Hess Plimpton’s work was selected for the Burlington County’s Annual Juried Art Show in Smithville Park Eastampton, NJ in 2011. In 2010 Carol’s work was chosen to be in the Arts Blooms juried art show in Cherry Hill, NJ. Carol’s work was also selected for the Medford Arts Center juried art show as well as the 2011 Ransley juried exhibit in Burlington City. Carol’s work has also been accepted to the juried art show at the Center for Fine Arts in Marlton in 2011.
Opening Reception:
Saturday, Feb. 11
2 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Gallery, Lower Level
Sunday Morning
by Seward Johnson
The sculpture on the Library’s front lawn draws a lot of attention and double-takes because of its life-like qualities. “Sunday Morning” was created by artist, J. Seward Johnson in 1985. There have been two castings. “Sunday Morning I” was sold in 1989 to owner in Miami Beach, Florida and “Sunday Morning II” is part of the Cherry Hill Public Library’s permanent art collection.
“Sunday Morning” is entirely bronze. The realism of the textures and details is the hallmark of Seward Johnson’s art, and this detailing is achieved with hours of intense labor. Delicate textures, such as the skin, can be made more real with fabrics pressed into the clay at this stage. Sometimes articles of clothing are stiffened with a resin and used in the mold process, but there is no clothing on top of, or under the bronze, in the sculpture. It takes up to one year to create one sculpture.
Just before the new Library opened (in December 2004) the sculpture was installed on the front lawn. It was initially on temporary loan to the Library. However, we felt that the sculpture represented what the Cherry Hill Public Library is all about - people gathering to read, learn and relax and we knew that would be a beautiful addition to the Library’s state-of-the art facility.
In April 2006, the Friends of the Library launched a “Save the Sculpture” campaign with 18 months to raise the $57,500 needed to purchase the piece. The Friends made an initial donation of $10,000 and hosted several other fundraisers, but most of the money was donated by library patrons. By the end of January 2007, the Friends had raised enough money to purchase the piece. A dedication ceremony was held on April 15, 2007.
Totem
 by David Ascalon
“Totem,” is an eight-foot tall, fabricated bronze sculpture on display in front of the Library. Thanks to the generosity of the Friends of the Library, “Totem” was purchased in the fall of 2009 and is now part of the Library’s permanent art collection.
David Ascalon is a contemporary sculptor and stained glass artist, and co-founder of Ascalon Studios, located in West Berlin, N.J.
Children's Mural
Story and Craft Room, Upper Level
by Karol Greene Baker
This brightly-colored, highly-detailed mural measures approximately 37-feet wide and 9-feet high and features classic Mother Goose characters, including favorites such as Humpty Dumpty, the Three Blind Mice and the Cow Who Jumped Over the Moon. This year-long project, completed in 2008, started as a sketch and resulted in a one-of-a-kind treasure for generations of children and Library visitors to enjoy.
Artist Karol Greene Baker is a Cherry Hill native who specializes in oil painted caricatures and murals. Her dreamy, stylized illustrations, painted in rich, lush colors, bear a devotion to her craft and display a mischievous sense of humor. Baker donated her time and talent to create this treasured mural.
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