Lend a hand for a Dayton Metro Library community art project

BRIDGES will explore ideas of what unites the community

A community art project kicks off Saturday, May 1 at the Dayton Metro Library.

Leesa Haapapuro, artist-in-residence at the library, will explore ideas that unite the community with a project called BRIDGES.

The collaborative art installation will be constructed in the Main Library and Haapapuro wants the community to contribute ideas and creativity to the project.

“I envision swooping, airy, brightly colored filigree bridges intersecting the space, a visually poetic communication focused not on what divides our communities, but on what brings us together,” Haapapuro said in a release. “Each individual rung will be unique but also display unity.”

Workshop hours May 1 to June 30 will be Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Main Library’s Opportunity Space @Patterson, 215 E. Third St. in downtown Dayton. All ages are welcome.

Materials will be provided for participants to design their own rectangular cut-outs which Haapapuro will string together in a rope ladder-style.

Participants may also pick up a project kit at their nearest Branch Library, then return their completed work to be incorporated into the installation.

“Everyone is invited to watch the project grow, but I’m really hoping people of all ages will come inside and lend a hand,” Haapapuro said.

The collaborative project is made possible by a grant from the Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District, with support from Culture Works.

If the public health emergency advisory level is orange or higher, workshops will take place online.

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