May 2011

Mani Challenge Event Raises over $250,000 for LibraryPark

On April 27, over 75 guests gathered at the Soho House in West Hollywood to celebrate the Mani Family gift of $1 million to name the 1st Floor of the library the Mani Family Floor and to learn about the Mani challenge grant.

Guests included West Hollywood's Mayor John J. Duran, Mayor Pro Tempore Jeffrey Prang, Councilmembers John D'Amico, John Heilman and Abbe Land, and LA County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky. West Hollywood Library Fund Board Members Chris Bonbright, James Arnone, Jeff Seymour, Jason Illoulian, Deborah Kallick, Genevieve Morrill and Maxine Sonnenburg were also in attendance, along with community members Merry Norris, Ben Soleimani, Blake Byrne and Joyce Rey, among others.

At the event, WHLF Board Secretary Jeff Seymour spoke of the Mani brothers' leadership in the West Hollywood business community and their commitment and investment in the city. Councilmember John Heilman discussed how the library will benefit the community and unveiled an architectural rendering of the Mani Family Floor. He then introduced Simon, Daniel and Joe Mani, who spoke of the need for free access to education and of libraries serving as a community gathering place. “From our first days starting out, right through to today, we have always had the incredible support of this community,” said Simon Mani. “We are honored to have the chance to give back and to support the new West Hollywood Library, a new and vital cultural center that will help build the future of this community.”

Later, Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky announced a $250,000 pledge from the County of Los Angeles. “Libraries are free to anyone-that's what makes them so important-but they aren't free to operate,” said Yaroslavsky. “Every day we see the value that libraries bring, and we're proud to work in partnership with the city of West Hollywood to make this new library and park expansion a flagship destination among county libraries.”

The event raised over $250,000 for LibraryPark and generated strong interest among the guests and community to donate and help achieve the Mani Family challenge. The West Hollywood Library Fund thanks the Soho House and the Mani brothers for their support of LibraryPark and for helping to build a place like no other.

Pictured: Simon Mani, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, Chair of the WHLF Board Chris Bonbright, Daniel Mani, Joe Mani, Secretary of the WHLF Board Jeff Seymour

 

$6.6 Million Raised

The West Hollywood Library Fund has raised $6.6 million to date. With the library scheduled to open in the fall of 2011, the campaign has entered its final stage of fundraising. With everyone's help, we'll reach our $10 million goal to support a “place like no other” for all to enjoy.

 

Artists Shepard Fairey and David Wiseman Selected as Artists for the West Hollywood Library

The city of West Hollywood has selected artists Shepard Fairey and David Wiseman to produce two different art pieces for the new West Hollywood Library. Shepard Fairey will be creating a mural, while David Wiseman will be creating a sculpture that will adorn the wall above the library stairs.

The mural that Shepard Fairey will be creating provides a contextual link between the library and the community, creating a deeply dimensional “portrait” of West Hollywood that will reflect the city's historical and architectural elements. This work will be a historically significant and community-based project that is not unlike a contemporary version of the highly regarded Works Progress Administration (WPA) murals completed in the 1930s in public buildings throughout the United States.

The work by David Wiseman will be decorative in nature and reflect the relationship between the New West Hollywood Library and West Hollywood Park. Utilizing plaster, bronze and porcelain, a series of branches will emerge from the walls and arch into the air space above the stairway, providing a link between the park that surrounds it and the library itself. Wiseman captures and preserves the fleeting beauty of natural forms such as a blossoming tree, a spider web or a glacier. His work is extraordinarily hands on and labor intensive, and he is constantly experimenting with and exploring new ways of working with materials such as porcelain, bronze and glass.  

Shepard Fairey is a graphic artist whose OBEY GIANT sticker, created in 1989 while studying at the Rhode Island School of Design, has since evolved into a worldwide street art campaign, as well as an acclaimed body of fine art.

David Wiseman is a 2003 graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), who lives and works in Los Angeles. His work is included in private collections, has appeared in numerous publications, and was selected for Design Life Now, the 2006 Design Triennial at the Cooper-Hewitt, the National Design Museum, and the Smithsonian Institution.

Pictured Left: Artist Shepard Fairey
Pictured Right: Artist David Wiseman

Event Report - WHLF Fundraiser at the Grilled Cheese Invitational

The West Hollywood Library Fund served as the charity partner at the annual Grilled Cheese Invitational, a grilled cheese cooking contest and food festival event, held in downtown Los Angeles on April 23, 2011. Over 7,500 people attended, where a Fundraiser Beer and Wine Garden was set up for attendees, with proceeds going to the WHLF. All product offered was donated from sponsors: Barefoot Wines, Bogle Wines, Firestone Walker Brewing, Lagunitas Brewing, New Belgium Brewing, and Oreana Wines & Stone Brewing.  

The event helped build community awareness about the project to a new group of friends and raised close to $20,000. The West Hollywood Library Fund thanks our sponsors Tim Walker and the Grilled Cheese Invitational in helping make LibraryPark a place like no other!

 

Construction Report

With the construction now over 92% completed, it is easy to see that the library is nearly ready. Inside the library, finish work continues with painting, carpeting, flooring, millwork, light fixtures, book shelving and more all being installed and completed. Outside, the ceremonial staircase is being installed and the flooring is nearly complete in the Auto-court area, with site work and sidewalk finishing taking place along San Vicente Blvd.

Book shelving installed	Circulation desk finish work on 1st floor	Bookshelves along San Vicente Blvd.

Ceremonial staircase under construction	Library autocourt with marble installed on walls, flower sculpture detail work on ceiling and concrete flooring installed	Curved wall details completed outside cafe area

 

Upcoming Events

The West Hollywood Library and the West Hollywood “WAB” Club present: A Reading and Book Discussion with Lisa Napoli, author of Radio Shangri-La: What I Learned in Bhutan, the Happiest Kingdom on Earth.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011 -7:00-8:30 p.m. at the West Hollywood Community Center at Plummer Park-7377 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA. Admission to this event is free. If you have any questions about the event, please contact the West Hollywood Library, 310-652-5340, www.colapublib.org.

Join Us

Stay up-to-date on the latest library news and be part of the conversation as our campaign progresses.

For more information about the campaign and how you can help, please contact Campaign Manager LouAnne Greenwald via email at lgreenwald@weholibraryfund.org.