Palm Harbor Library
2230 Nebraska Avenue
Palm Harbor, FL 34683
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Description of Artwork:This artwork is based on the artist’s vision of the library as being a place of knowledge, enlightenment and community story telling. The artist himself tells his story through colorful symbols and images, including the sea, people, birds, books, maritime flags, and a lotus flower. The main elements of this installation include three totem-pole-like structures. Each totem conveys it’s own meaning: totem #1 represents the seeds of knowledge, totem #2 (center) pays homage to the essence of community connection, and totem #3 (including images on the wall behind the totems) refers to the power of the sea—a symbol for being a repository of knowledge.

In front of the three totems is an open book (metal) that is mounted to a reading stand. The open page reads “Knowledge is the seed of our own creativity, the foundation that strengthens our community and the landmark that guides our course of action”. Michael Cain states “When we pick up a book and invest the time in reading it, in a way, the book becomes part of us. There is a continual interplay between people and the written word. The reader gets inspired and then becomes the writer, who, in turn, inspires the next reader, and so on. We all place ourselves in context within the stories that we can relate to.”