Bare wall syndrome?

Attention all newcomers to Iowa City and new, or soon-to-be, apartment dwellers: do you have the dreaded "bare wall syndrome?" Are you surrounded by unsightly beige expanses? Are your walls freckled with the Spackle from previous tenants and their pictures and posters? Do you long for something to gaze at besides the nondescript shade of white covering the drywall, or the window-view of your neighbors across the street? If so, you need help, now!

Iowa City Public Library has the remedy: our Art-To-Go collection! Take your pick from 400 framed prints and original works of art by local artists! Cardholders can check out two pieces at a time, for two months. All works are framed with wood or metal, and have secure wire hangers ,and covered in Plexi--all you need is a nail, a hammer (or heavy textbook), and a little elbow grease. Transform your walls, brighten up a hallway, turn any room into a very small, private gallery!

Recent acquisitions include:

Edgar Degas' Swaying Dancer (Dancer in Green)
which captures a young ballerina executing a
graceful turn. Painted during the years of 1877-1879,
Degas' masterful use of brisk strokes of paint convey a
sense of movement and transience.

Jean-Michel Basquiat's Trumpet, painted in 1984, using
acrylic and oil-stick. Basquiat was a young artist with Haitian
and Puerto Rican roots, and he went from spray painting on the
streets of New York City to displaying his works alongside
famous artists in a dizzyingly short amount of time. This work
displays his penchant for bold colors, words and poetry, and an
energy that is both demanding and joyful.

William Blake's Jacob's Ladder. This pen and ink drawing was
created in 1799-1806 by artist Blake, who was also a poet; he is
widely considered to be one of the foremost artists of the era
of Romanticism. This work depicts the Biblical subject of Jacob,
and the dream he had of the stairway to Heaven, as he fled from
his brother Esau. I believe it also shows a lady who's sure,
all that glitters is gold.

Do Not Disturb! by Yoshitomo Nara. Nara has a knack for
picturing people and animals that are at once young and maybe
a little petulant, as well as wise and somehow at peace. This
sweet little dog reads a book, and his smile conveys the feeling
we all know of being so absorbed in a story, in the world of a
book, that we want nothing to intrude.

Drop by the Library and take in some art; it's on the first floor, along the red wall between the main room and the Children's Room. And get those walls fixed!