Indy book-sharing stations combine art and literacy

Take a peek inside any one of Indy's new book-sharing stations, and you can find books by Charles Dickens and Charlie Murphy, Janet Evanovich and Jane Austen.

The eight stations are part of The Public Collection, which had its grand opening Thursday afternoon. All of the stations were designed by Indiana-based artists and aim to combine art and literacy.

The Public Collection is the brainchild of Rachel M. Simon and is supported by the Herbert Simon Family Foundation, in partnership with Art Strategies and the Central Indiana Community Foundation. The Indianapolis Public Library supplies books for the project.

The formal ceremony took place on Monument Circle, at the station titled "Monument," by Brian McCutcheon. The area around the station was filled with people, some of them library employees who helped stock the shelves, and others just passing by on their lunch break.

"In middle-income neighborhoods, the ratio of books per child is 13-to-1. In low-income neighborhoods, the ratio is one age-appropriate book for 300 children," said Mindy Taylor Ross of Art Strategies.

Each station is open to the public, free of charge. You can read or browse at the station, borrow a book or share it with a friend and return it to any station at your convenience.

The stations are already having an impact on their communities.

"We had a mom today come up and thank us because a couple of books from the library were Spanish language," said Kimberly Coveney, director of development and communications at the Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center, which houses "The answer is in the question," by Phil O'Malley. The installment consists of two large, movable question marks.

"As soon as they brought them in, we brought the kids in the after-school program," Coveney said. "They literally got into it," peeking in the shelves, standing under the question marks.

Artist LaShawnda Crowe Storm, whose installment "Play Station" is housed at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, said she felt as if she had done her job when she saw preschool-age children interact with it.

"They came out and attacked it," she said. The station is covered in Lego pieces that invite children to play. "I made it for them to take ownership."

"Nautilus," by Katie Hudnall, looks like a ship. It's in Eskenazi Health, by the Starbucks, an area where doctors and nurses can be seen zooming around. Books are housed in a hull-like area, and on top is a wide counter on which people can lean their books. "It's been getting a lot of use," she said, smiling.

"This is my favorite, most considerate thing," O'Malley said as he leaned against the counter of "Nautilus."

No two pieces are alike. They were made to fit their environment. At Horizon House, a homeless shelter, the all-wood station, "Table of Contents," almost looks like someone's living room or a cafe.

There are audio books and nooks built into the station where visitors can sit and read, and the center even provides reading glasses.

"We want to make sure anyone and everyone who wants to can. We didn't want there to be any barriers," said Teresa Wessel, executive director of Horizon House. Three of the shelter's own helped with construction of the station. As with everyone who comes through the doors of the shelter, Wessel calls them neighbors.

"We beautified this wood," said Victor Herrera, one of the neighbors who helped in construction. The structure is made of reclaimed wood, which the neighbors gathered and painstakingly sanded down and polished. "I am so honored to be part of it."

Other stations are "Food for Thought," by Tom Torluemke, a wooden refrigerator at the Indianapolis Museum of Art; "Harvesting Knowledge," by Brose Partington, at City Market; and "Topiary," by Eric Nordgulen, on the Cultural Trail.

"A lot of people take books for granted," said Simon, the project's creator. "To increase access to books, and it's free, it's exciting."

Follow Star reporter Gabby Ferreira on Twitter: @Its_GabbyF.