Tag Archives: Art Collections

Philadelphia Mural Walk – Enjoy in Person or Online!

If you’re at the AALL Conference in Philadelphia this week and want to get out of the convention center and explore, taking the self-guided tour (pdf) of the Philadelphia Mural Walk through “The Mural Mile” can be a great option.

Interactive Mural Walk

Not here? This tour includes interviews available via phone or download as “podcast” mp3s – I’ve included the phone numbers with images of each artwork below so you can follow along from any location.

You can also download the audio files directly from the Mural Mile website (zip file). Combining the audio tour with the murals will help you explore not only the creativity and local history of these works, but also learn about community programs: Continue reading Philadelphia Mural Walk – Enjoy in Person or Online!

Art Adds to Atmosphere in Valparaiso University Law Library

It’s been said that the practice of law is an art. Students at Valparaiso University School of Law may or may not agree with that view of their future profession. But we recently confirmed that they do notice and appreciate works of art on display on the walls of our law library.

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Artwork Celebrating CALL’s 50th Anniversary

Artwork from Holland & Knight, LLP

CALL 50th Anniversary Banner

This banner celebrating CALL’s 50th Anniversary (1947 – 1997) is on display in the library at Holland & Knight LLP. Elizabeth Robertson, a former Human Resources Manager at Holland & Knight, bid on and won this piece at the City of Chicago banner auction. The city banner auction features banners that were once displayed on streets around the city.

Thank you, Carolyn Hosticka, Library Manager at Holland & Knight, for sharing this artwork with us!

Chagall’s Four Seasons

Artwork from Marshall, Gerstein & Borun, LLP

Marc Chagall’s Four Seasons
Four Seasons, by Marc Chagall (Chicago, 1974)

As we near the end of our slog through winter, Marc Chagall’s Four Seasons (Chicago, 1974) helps remind us that spring is just around the corner. This lithograph poster, which was signed by Chagall, can be found in the Carl E. Moore, Jr. library of Marshall, Gerstein & Borun, LLP.

Signature from Marc Chagall’s Four Seasons
Signed Chagall

The poster was originally commissioned for the dedication of the mosaic mural at First National Plaza (now Chase Tower). At that time, the firm was located in 2 First National Plaza, overlooking the Chagall mural. A limited number of prints were offered for sale, and a group of partners purchased the piece to display at the firm.

Thank you, Todd Hillmer, Library Manager at Marshall, Gerstein & Borun, for sharing this piece with us!

A Bit of CALL History: Portrait of Kurt Schwerin

Artwork from Pritzker Legal Research Center

Kurt Schwerin
This oil painting of Kurt Schwerin (artist and date unknown) hangs in the Pritzker Legal Research Center.

Northwestern University’s Pritzker Legal Research Center is home to several fascinating works of art in a variety of forms, including this oil painting of Kurt Schwerin—a former CALL president from 1958 to 1959.

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Art on the 29th Floor

Artwork from the Cook County Law Library

The Cook County Law Library has an ongoing collaboration with the Illinois Artisans Program of the Illinois State Museum to display the work of juried artists in the Law Library. The Illinois Artisans Program provides venues for Illinois artisans to display and promote their work.

Artisans work in a range of media. To date, artwork in the Law Library has included oil paintings, photographs, and oil pastels. The art exhibitions are on semi-annual rotation cycle.

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Art History — Office Art with Interesting Backstories

Artwork from Sidley Austin, LLP

Some of us never get around to decorating our offices. For others, “decorating” means hanging up that free motivational calendar you received in the mail, or taping a family photo to the wall by your computer screen. This is not the case for David Rogers, Reference Librarian at Sidley Austin, LLP.

If you ever have a chance to visit David’s office, you will have an opportunity to admire pieces of art that are not only beautiful, but have interesting histories as well—from a valuable lithograph rescued from the trash, to a watercolor won in a grade school raffle, to a family heirloom with ties to Chicago.

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Creative Use of Library Space

Artwork from Pritzker Legal Research Center

There is no denying it, we’ve all groaned at this phrase at one point or another: “We’re going to start a shifting project.” Rather than groaning, however, artist Mark Frazer turned a large weeding and shifting project into a chance to flex his creative muscles and create this sculpture, which he named “Liber Dentata: Watch in the Woods.”

Through the tunnel I. “Liber Dentata: Watch in the Woods,” by Mark Frazer.

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Soviet WWII Propaganda Posters at Chicago-Kent

If you’ve visited the research  office at the IIT Chicago-Kent Law Library, you may have noticed a trio of very large framed posters with Cyrillic text. These posters are just a small sample of the collection of World War II Soviet propaganda posters that Chicago-Kent received when we acquired the Library of International Relations (LIR), a special collection, in 1983.

A few of these have been on display in our library for years, but many more were rediscovered stuffed in a box in a storage room in 2006. The Chicago-Kent posters were identified just as the Art Institute of Chicago was finishing the restoration of a very similar collection. This led to Chicago-Kent playing a very small role in supporting the Art Institute’s wonderful exhibition in the summer of 2011.

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