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About Us, Awards and Donations |
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Nature Mosaic in Bird Island Park
On a beautiful, cool, clear morning in March the public was invited to come to the area behind the library called Bird Island Park to dedicate the Nature Mosaic in the space under the risers of the storytelling area in the back of the park. Artists Terry Nicholas and Charles Hatchell designed and commissioned Craig Pedroni to make the bird supports for the Art Benches, and artist Thaida Bonner created magnolia mosaics. A gigantic Sea Turtle and a sculpture of a girl reading were added among the lush trees. Mrs. Letitia (Tish) Westervelt Smith and Mr. Jan Robert Westervelt desired to create a nature mosaic in memory of their mother, Doris F. Westervelt. “The mosaic represents our mother’s love of walking on the beach and in the woods, her desire to offer educational opportunities to all and to have foreign visitors enjoy a unique work of art, as she had enjoyed so many times in foreign lands,” said Mrs. Smith. This work is indeed unique. Two local artists, Wendy Mandel McDaniel and Jan Tomlinson Master, were asked to create a flora and fauna which would replicate nature scenes found in Northeast Florida’s upland hammock, coastal dune and freshwater marsh. Children made tiles out of clay and plant pressings and glass artisans constructed images of lifelike renditions of birds and animals found in the area. Volunteers from Vicar’s Landing spent countless hours gluing pebbles and tiles on the panels, which were 200 linear feet long. These panels were then installed by volunteers from the community. This colorful and intricate mosaic depicting nature came together and can now be enjoyed by all. Only two areas have words written on the tiles. One says “In memory of Doris F. Westervelt.” The other is a quote from her son: “We are each a tile in nature’s mosaic.” The Bird Island Park, opened in 2010, is the result of the cooperation of members of the Ponte Vedra community and St. Johns County Recreation and Parks department, which is the caretaker. The park will be part of an audio tour of the A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway. To find out more, log onto www.floridascenichighways.com and www.byways.org. Take a friend, your children, your parents to this beautiful area in Bird Island Park, look at the mosaic closely, listen to the chatter of the birds. |
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Florida Library Association Honors FOL-Ponte VedraThe Florida Library Association has
recognized the Friends of the Library--Ponte Vedra for its
Antique Appraisal Showcase event, conducted last February. The
Honorable Mention award was in the Outstanding Programs category
of FLA’s Friends, Foundations, and Boards Awards for 2011. The
Friends group will be recognized at the FF&B Luncheon on May 5
at the FLA Conference in Orlando. |
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An FOL Thank you!
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The Library has been the fortunate recipient of a wonderful and generous donation from Jean Armstrong, widow of the late Vice Admiral Parker B. Armstrong. She chose our library to receive one of her most cherished possessions—the Armstrong Dollhouse. In an email interview with Amy Ring,
Ms. Alice Wilson,
daughter of Jean Armstrong, recounted the history and details of
this valuable gift.
The description below is in Ms. Wilson’s own words.
“My
father started the dollhouse in 1977 while he was still active
in the Navy....he was interested in starting a hobby before he
retired. He built it room by room, not really having a
specific plan or ultimate design for the house. The
shingles were tongue depressors that my father stained and hand
cut. There are 1500 shingles. My father also built a lot
of the furniture (from kits) and it was very important to both
my parents that everything looked authentic. "My
mother was the decorator, and wherever they traveled she was
always looking for something to add to the dollhouse. Most
of the curtains, sheets, pillows are made from old handkerchiefs
that belonged to my grandmother. All the photos in the house are
of our family members (the whole family is now on stairway hall,
first floor) with my dad in the middle. “Many of my mother's friends and relatives
contributed to the dollhouse. [It] includes things from all over
the world. Most of the rugs are hand stitched needlepoint made
by....friends. My grandmother did a lot of the small stitchery
projects such as the quilt on the grandmother's bed. All of the
silver in the dining room is real sterling silver, and was just
recently polished by myself and my sister! “Many little things such as [the electric]
lamps, wastebaskets, and small items were made by my mom with
something she found around the house, like a toothpaste cap, or
perfume bottle cap. She always had her eye out for something she
could transform into a dollhouse item. “The dollhouse took 10 years to complete, and
it has resided in 10 different locations. From “Hundreds and hundreds of people have viewed
the house. My
parents were always very social people, and every time they had
a party, their guests loved seeing the dollhouse. Anyone with
children always loved coming to see the dollhouse. “[The dollhouse] is really all about
something very special that our parents shared in their later
years. They were so happy while they were working on this
project, and my mother continues to say how impressed she was
with my father's talent...she never knew he would enjoy
something like this, and how long the interest in it lasted. “My mother [Mrs. Armstrong] actually created
a “story” of the dollhouse and its family.
It really centers around a wealthy grandmother who owned
the house, and let her son and daughter-in-law move in to take
care of her and the house. Her son may have been in the
Navy, but we are not sure. The couple had a daughter and
two boys (maybe twins). “The
grandmother continually talked about moving back to “[My mother] really told
[the story] more like a soap opera...and my mother loves
a good soap opera story!”
Be sure to drop by the library and see this amazing miniature creation. It is truly a "labor of love" and work of art. You may even get a glimpse of the family!
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History |
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HISTORY OF
LIBRARIES AND FRIENDS