Library Turns into Garden – at Alicia Ashman Library

Hanging an Art Exhibit © 2013 Bo Mackison

With a lot of help from family, I hung my art exhibit, Garden Party – A Celebration of Botanical Photography, at the Alicia Ashman Branch of the Madison Public Library today. There were 32 framed photographs and canvases to hang and we had four hours to get the job done.

All of my practice packing for and setting up my photography booth at dozens of different art fairs and festivals came in handy. I chose the 30+ pieces weeks ago, framed a couple of new prints and finished one last canvas, and then packed them in sturdy bins.

Framed Prints All in a Row © 2013 Bo Mackison

Last week I completed a few smaller projects – creating title cards and revised price lists, and re-writing my artist statement and bio. I decided at the last-minute to include a quote with each photograph, much like I do when I post a photograph on this blog paired with a quotation.

Once I had all the photos in the library, I lined them along an entire wall. The patrons, occupied with their newspapers, magazines, and computers, took a break to admire the bright botanical photos and comment on the hard work of hanging a show. I assured them it was an easier job to hang thirty photographs in a well-lit, air-conditioned building compared to hanging a similar number in a 10′ by 10′ tent at an art festival.

Though admittedly, I spent most of the time figuring out where to hang the art and working out details with the hard-working library staff. My assistants did the hard part!

Bright Flowers in the Children’s Library © 2013 Bo Mackison

We hung bright, bold flowers in the children’s library. One toddler, a curious two-year old, noticed the bee in the coneflower photo and showed his mother. Several eight year old girls watched me level the purple anemone photograph, Charlotte’s Anemone, and declared that purple was their favorite color. “That would go in my bedroom!” one of them declared.

I love that the children are already looking at and connecting with art on their level. What joy that is, what inspiration for those who create art.

“Zen Garden” with the Garden Books © 2013 Bo Mackison

Zen Garden, one of my all time favorite photos on canvas, had to go in the gardening section. It seemed only right.

Almost Ready for the Opening © 2013 Bo Mackison

By the time we had all of the art on the walls, the lights were flashing, signaling the close of the library. There was still a bit of leveling to do, and a few title cards to re-arrange, but the show is hung and ready for the official opening of the exhibit on July 1st.

Garden Party Exhibit Information

Here are the details for visitors in the Madison, Wisconsin area: The art exhibit, Garden Party – A Celebration of Botanical Photography runs from July 1 through September 5 at the Alicia Ashman Branch Library Gallery, 733 North High Point Road on the far west side of Madison.

Enjoy the show!

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. Today she also spent several hours converting the local library into a flower garden.