An Open Book: Public Art Project

AnOpenBookSlider (Demo)

On July 23, 2020, I completed the installation of An Open Book, which is a bronze public art sculpture located at the C. Blythe Andrews library in College Hill neighborhood of Tampa. The sculpture features two African American children engrossed in a book as a globe and other small elements emerge from it. The C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. Public Library is named after the former owner-publisher of the Florida Sentinel Bulletin, a pioneering publication dedicated to informing and uplifting African American communities across the Tampa Bay region and the state. Reflecting on the legacy of Andrews, the work emphasizes the importance of reading as a catalyst for inspiration, distribution of information, resistance, and imagination. The project involves a mixed methods approach between scanning, digital sculpting, cloth simulation, CNC routing, hand carving, mold-making, and bronze casting. You can see more on the process at the video below.