Art, architecture book sale made possible by anonymous donor
Pamela Deitrich, left, and Kari Lorenson, two members of the Stanford Free Library Board of Directors, were among the volunteers preparing for the special sale of art books this coming weekend. Photo submitted

Art, architecture book sale made possible by anonymous donor

STANFORDVILLE — A special treat for art lovers of all sorts awaits them at both the Stanford Free Library and at the Bangallworks work space this weekend.

The “rare opportunity to purchase books at a great discount from a carefully curated collection,” exists, according to Stanford Free Library Director Christa Cerul.

The special event was made possible by an anonymous donation, generously made by a library patron who contributed 200 volumes from her own collection. Funds from the sale will be used in the future to support art-related events at the library.

Cerul noted the books range “from visual arts to architecture with emphasis on Medieval, Venetian, Dutch, Modern and Contemporary periods,” with “something for everyone.” They feature a mix of “art, design and architecture” books at both locations.

Two library board members, Pamela Deitrich and Kari Lorenson, with the help from library staff member Debra Cardillo, have been working for a month or two with the local collector “on the nitty gritty” in order to prepare the book sale, said Cerul.

The sale will run with the aid of 11 volunteers and other board members, who have transported the books from location to location.

“Everybody’s pitching in to do their part,” noted Cerul.

The books are of high quality, with a number of coffee table books available at each site.

Costs for the books will range from $1 to $20 per book. In addition to the sale, a silent auction will be held for one special book at each location.

Instead of determining ahead of time what sorts of programs will be supported by the resulting funds, patrons will be asked to fill out a survey at each sale site to indicate what they would like to see done at the library.

Cerul said the survey might include possibilities such as inviting visiting artists or offering w orkshops, as well asking for open-ended suggestions.

The book sales will take place on Thursday and Friday, May 12 and 13, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Saturday, May 14, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The library is located at 6035 Route 82 and Bangallworks is located at 97 Hunns Lake Road. There will be no preview available.

For more information, email stanfordlibrary@optonline.net, visit its Facebook page, go to www.stanfordlibrary.org or call the library at 845-868-1341.

Latest News

Kevin Kelly’s After Hours

Kevin Kelly’s After Hours

Kevin Kelly

Photo by Christopher Delarosa
“I was exposed to that cutthroat, ‘Yes, chef’ culture. It’s not for me. I don’t want anyone apologizing for who they are or what they love.”— Kevin Kelly

Kevin Kelly doesn’t call himself a chef; he prefers “cook.” His business, After Hours, based in Great Barrington, operates as what Kelly calls “a restaurant without a home,” a pop-up dining concept that prioritizes collaboration over competition, flexibility over permanence, and accessibility over exclusivity.

Kelly grew up in Great Barrington and has roots in the Southern Berkshires that go back ten generations. He began working in restaurants at age 14. “I started at Allium and was hooked right off the bat,” he said. He worked across the region from Cantina 229 in New Marlborough to The Old Inn on the Green at Jacob’s Pillow before heading to Babson College in Boston to study business. After a few years in Boston kitchens, he returned home to open a restaurant. But the math didn’t work. “The traditional model just didn’t feel financially sustainable,” he said. “So, I took a step back and asked, ‘If that doesn’t work, then what does?’”

Keep ReadingShow less
restaurants

Books & Blooms’ tenth anniversary

Books & Blooms’ tenth anniversary

Dee Salomon on what makes a garden a garden.

hoto by Ngoc Minh Ngo for Architectural Digest

On June 20 and 21, the Cornwall Library will celebrate its 10th anniversary of Books & Blooms, the two-day celebration of gardens, art, and the rural beauty of Cornwall. This beloved annual benefit features a talk, reception, art exhibit, and self-guided tours of four extraordinary local gardens.

The first Library sponsored garden tour was in June 2010 and featured a talk by Page Dickey, an avid gardener and author. This year’s Books & Blooms will coincide with Ellen Moon’s exhibit “Thinking About Gardens,” a collection of watercolors capturing the quiet spirit of Cornwall’s private gardens. Moon, a weekly storyteller to the first grade at Cornwall Consolidated School and art curator for The Cornwall Library, paints en plein air. Her work investigates what constitutes a garden. In the description of the show, she writes: “there are many sorts...formal, botanical, cottage, vegetable, herb...even a path through the woods is a kind of garden. My current working definition of a garden is a human intervention in the landscape to enhance human appreciation of the landscape.” Also on display are two of her hand-embroidered jackets. One depicts spring’s flowering trees and pollinators. The other, a kimono, was inspired by Yeats’s “The Song of the Wandering Aengus.”

Keep ReadingShow less
cornwall library