An art glass window installed
over the entrance to the Menlo Park Library
High on a hill beneath the canopy of a
spreading Oak Tree are found three children. The two older
ones are engrossed in their books and seem oblivious to the creatures
who creep curiously up the hill from the left: an elf, a bear,
a dinosaur, unicorn, owl, fish and winged lizard. Leading
them is a Raven, significant in many cultures as a symbol of creative
spirit, luck, wit, and mystery. One would perhaps expect
these creatures to disappear should either pause to look about.
Looking over the shoulder of the
boy on the left is another Raven - perhaps Poe’s famous bird or
the upstart crow of Shakespearean fame? The other reader
shares her side of the tree with a faun. Natural creature
that he is, he seems content to simply be as he gazes down from
his pastoral perch, a world apart.
The third child is too young to
read for himself yet but seems engaged in conservation with a
bespectacled mole. The mole is a symbol for the friends
of the Library who have been affectionately known as “Moles” for
having their work sessions in the library basement. He is
also a symbol of the older generation handing down knowledge to
the younger. On the cover of the book under his arm appears
a heart which is a heartfelt thanks to the Friends from the artist
for funding this project.
The choice of children as the main
subjects of the windows is meant to symbolize the open, inquiring
mind and spirit of adventure one must bring to the discovery of
what lies within the covers of a book. The quotes which
are inscribed on the pages of the books in the window make reference
to this thought and while not legible to the casual observer,
might be read with a more determined effort. High above,
in the uppermost branches of the tree, one finds a bird’s nest
with eggs in it - threatened by the presence of a cat who appears
to have discovered them. This suggests many of life’s relationships
and lessons: beginnings/endings, life/death, hope in the face
of danger - or, from the perspective of the cat, opportunity,
hidden treasure discovered, or at least a nice breakfast!
There are five more ravens - one
of them with a stolen jewel in his beak - flying up through the
tree and away into the picture, leading the viewer’s eye toward
a distant hot air balloon. This with the view of a girl
running with a kite on the hill beyond the hill suggests the phrase
“flights of fancy”. The eye spirals around and down the
valley to a city in the far distance which is depicted as a city
of the future (in optimistic light) with gleaming spires and towers,
water and trees.
The artist: “Look Into It” was designed
by artist Pamela Mengers Hodges, and was constructed by her and
her husband, Tim Hodges, at their Grass Valley, California location,
Lakehouse Studios. The couple’s two-year-old son, Camen
Alexander, served as the model for the little boy in the window
talking to the mole.
