Three Finalists Remain for Lakewood Public Art Project

And then, there were three. 

Following a call for artists to submit plans for a new sculpture on the Lakewood Public Library, . Since March, the art selection committee has whittled the list down to a few.

One of those artists — to be named soon — will forever change the front campus of the . 

“As a committee, we have been thoroughly impressed by the number and quality of applications to the foundation’s call for art,” said Nancy Seibert, president of the Library Board of Trustees, in March.

Seibert is one of the judges. The other members of the art selection committee are Tiffany Graham; Marcia Hall; Dan Cuffaro; Lucy Sinagra; Mary Anne Crampton; and Ruth Weible.

The library’s board of trustees spent quite a bit of time working with the architect, Robert A. M. Stern, to choose the perfect spot for the art. They settled on the northwest corner of the property facing Detroit Avenue.

Meant to be a welcoming feather in the cap of the newly renovated and expanded main building, the judges are impressed with what they’ve seen.

And so is library director James Crawford, who called the submissions “stupendous” and “excellent.”

“These are internationally known artists,” he said, adding that he didn’t want to reveal the identities of the three finalists yet. “They are all really very interested in creating a piece of artwork in front of the Lakewood Public Library — for a lot of reasons.”

The winner will receive $125,000, but both Crawford and Seibert stress that the money was privately raised after years of fundraising by the Lakewood Library Foundation.

 “I think this is really good, for the community,” Crawford said. “The message this sends to the community is that Lakewood is a progressive and open-minded place to live, work and raise a family.”