Communications major Jacqueline Ali and graduate art student Katharine Ryals each won $500 in an annual art contest sponsored by the Brooklyn College Library—which, for the first time ever, was recognized with the American Library Association Best of Show award for exceptional public relations material. Created in 2008 by Miriam Deutch, associate librarian for research and access services, the contest provides an opportunity to showcase the art collection, broaden students’ cultural enrichment and learning opportunities, and promote student creativity and talent. The winning artwork was selected from among 50 entries. “The winning pieces not only conveyed an understanding and deliberation of a work of art in the library, but translated their interpretation in a very thoughtful, creative and inventive way,” said Deutch, who is also an art historian and was one of the judges for this year’s competition. “The amount of effort needed to accomplish their response is also taken into consideration.” She added that Ali’s stop motion animation reflected a very thoughtful interpretation of “Stabile,” Alexander Calder’s lithograph, as well as an understanding of Calder’s sculptures, which are full of movement and very playful. Ryals manipulated tintype plates to obscure the subject matter, similar to the indecipherable images in David Deutsch’s “Rotunda” painting. Then, she photographed the tintypes and scanned them into the computer, creating a mosaic pattern resembling the painting in the final print. Brooklyn College Library’s art collection includes paintings, drawings, sculptures, photography, and prints, created by artists who live and work in Brooklyn and have works in major museums around the world. The most technologically advanced in the City University of New York, the library’s collections total 1.5 million volumes, 45,000 serials, 43,000 electronic serials and 40,000 electronic books. It adds approximately 15,000 new titles each year to its comprehensive humanities, social sciences and sciences collections.
