FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – The Allen County Public Library (ACPL) has launched three new, limited edition library cards available to Allen County residents featuring local art. The partnership celebrates Allen County’s thriving public art scene and the artists who make the community a vibrant place to call home.
ACPL representatives released the following:
The cards feature three different artists’ work including Theoplis Smith’s depiction of civil rights icon Rosa Parks, Bryan Ballinger’s mural “The Blue Birds”, and Tim Parsley’s homage to poet Walt Whitman “Arouse, for you must justify me!” A team of ACPL staff chose the pieces to reflect the diversity of materials, services, and thoughts the ACPL aims to represent.
“We are so excited to introduce these new cards to the community,” said ACPL Executive Director Susan P. Baier, “This library is a dynamic, colorful, evolving representation of this community and our most basic tool, our library cards, should reflect that. My hope is that when our patrons pull this card out of their wallet, they are reminded, in even a small way, of just how special their library is!”
The project was developed after a successful 2023 Library Card Sign Up Month campaign led to an increase in new patrons and a need to replenish the Library’s stock of cards. The library typically orders cards in bulk to last for approximately a year and staff decided this annual purchase could be an opportunity to highlight the community and the natural connection between libraries and the arts.
The Library reached out to the City of Fort Wayne and Art This Way to inquire about the muralists and accessing the rights to the artists’ works. Art This Way was instrumental in connecting Smith, Ballinger, and Parsley with the Library. All three artists were eager to participate in the project.
“When the ACPL reached out, I knew I would definitely be interested,” said Ballinger. “Funnily enough, I had been thinking about how I’d love to get involved with the ACPL more by maybe doing a mural or a sculpture for the library. I hadn’t thought about a library card, but it makes so much sense and literally puts my art at the communities’ fingertips.”
An ACPL library card provides access to millions of resources including books, e-books, audiobooks, streaming services, meeting spaces, computers, and more – at no cost to all Allen County residents, as well as, educators or students who work or attend school in Allen County.
The new cards are now available, while supplies last. Patrons may choose their preferred design in person at any ACPL location or by applying online. Supplies are limited. More information can be found here.
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