Art

The library creates many displays of books and other items of interest. We also host the District 87 Art Show every spring. The library also has a wonderful collection of art, including permanent and circulating pieces, displayed throughout.

Circulating Art Prints

The Bloomington Public Library offers access to a variety of art prints. These are available to check out and display in your home or office. The art prints are on display throughout the Adult Services department and the Quiet Reading room. There is also an Art Print Directory you may browse through. Art prints are checked out for 2 months and there is a limit of 2 per cardholder.

Library Art Collection

The Bloomington Public Library owns a large and diverse art collection. Various pieces, many by local artists, are located throughout the building. The collection housed on the second floor includes stained glass windows, paintings, and sculptures. Two pieces depicting Bloomington native Adlai Stevenson can be found in the Quiet Reading Room. Hanging in the stairwell are the Delft tiles, they were presented to Withers Public Library by James S. Ewing, who was the ambassador to Belgium under President Grover Cleveland. In the lobby hangs Sheep in Pasture, an oil on canvas painting, by the artist Alfred Montgomery. Montgomery, known the world over as the “farmer artist,” was a resident of Bloomington from 1893 to 1905. This painting was completed in 1896 and later presented to the library by Mrs. B. D. Lucas.