Beautifying the Melville Library, Piece by Piece

Student artist Sy Lee with his 'Water Droplet' sculpture, the newest installation in the Melville Library's North Reading Room. Photos by John Griffin.

It's a place for study, research and reflection. It's a space for knowledge and discovery. It's also a venue for a growing collection of inspirational and thought-provoking art - the latest North Reading Room installations created by student artists and made possible by the Campus Beautification Committee (CBC). It's the Melville Library and it's becoming more beautiful and inviting all the time.

Along with patrons, library staff couldn't be more pleased with the additions of a striking 'Water Droplet' sculpture hanging from the ceiling (see the video), along with a 10-foot-tall 'Nailed It' sculpture made up of, you guessed it, hundreds of actual nails.

"The dramatic additions add color and creativity to this vast space and really stand out," said Jennifer DeVito, associate librarian and director of access and user services. "They create a welcoming environment for our patrons. They provide a way for students' artwork to get more exposure and for people to be inspired by what others are doing. Overall, they make things more beautiful and bring a little bit more humanity into the workplace."

Head of Library Operations Kenneth Schaal has worked with student groups and the art department to beautify areas across the library. "Students like coming and seeing their work," he said. "The pieces are interactive and they make people stop and pause. They talk about them. And they even come up and ask me questions sometimes."

As one would imagine, the Art Department is as happy as the Melville Library when it comes to displaying its students' creations in high-exposure settings. The department's sculpture technician Dan Richholt was thrilled to see the recent installation of work by two of his students: Sy Lee ('Water Droplet') and Akash Lachman ('Nailed It').

"We have a number of opportunities for students to exhibit their works in galleries and shows in the art department and around Staller," said Richholt, "but what a great opportunity it is for students at Stony Brook to have their large-scale pieces permanently installed in public spaces with the Campus Beautification project, where thousands of people will view them yearly. It really elevates student art to a whole new level."

Campus Beautification Committee members Mitch Trinka (right) and Isaiah Daniel (center) and SoMAS' Mark Lang with artist Akash Lachman's sculpture, 'Nailed it!' in the Melville Library.

He had the highest praise for the artists as well.

"Sy was one of the most proficient students I have had the pleasure of working with in over 30 years of college teaching," he claimed. "He learned and elaborated on techniques and processes unusually fast for a student, be it welding, forging, modeling, casting, lathe turning, carving, 3-D printing, plasma cutting, CNC, hydro-forming, etc. It is a wonderful aspect of teaching to see students excited and inspired by learning new techniques and processes, but to see students go far beyond what is expected is a real treat."

Daniel, Trinka and Lang physically moved Lachman's sculpture into the Melville Library North Reading Room.

About Lachman, he said, "Akash likes to experiment with materials and push himself into unfamiliar areas. The nail piece exhibits his nature of pushing the parameters of assignments and processes. For example, it was to be at least 36 inches in mild steel. Akash made his piece over 10 feet and incorporated the stump to make it a mixed media sculpture. He has a need to try new things and to go beyond the ordinary. Akash is also known for his meticulous drawings, which have also won awards at SBU juried student shows."

Campus Beautification Committee members (l-r) Chris Tanaka, Ellen Cooke, Lauren Candela, student artist Sy Lee, Mitch Trinka and Dave Ecker. Courtesy photo.

Richholt added, "One of the wonderful things about teaching is that every student brings their own unique experiences and idiosyncrasies to the classroom, and the possibilities are endless!"

With these two artists leaving their legacy behind upon graduating from Stony Brook, DeVito echoed the sentiments of her colleagues when she said they're looking to acquire and create (much) more art in the future … in addition to the rotating exhibits they proudly display during the annual community Art Crawl.

For example, Associate Dean for Research and Learning Janet Clarke is excited to be collaborating with the CBC to try to "add more color and beauty" to the vast wall space in the Central Reading Room.

DeVito summed it all up like this: "Why have sterile, clean walls when you can have something that makes you happy?"

Why indeed.

- Ellen Cooke

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