Glorious Index
Institute Library
847 Chapel St.
Through Dec. 12th
One Korean word flashed in my mind as I walked through the Institute Library’s newest exhibit: yeok-shi.
It means “of course,” or “as expected.” Koreans use this word after discovering a wealthy person only carries designer bags, or when a straight-A+ student is titled valedictorian, for example.
To explain, I shouldn’t have been surprised by the creative and intimate curation of the library’s newest exhibit, “Glorious Index.” The exhibit features small works by artists currently participating in Open Studios New Haven and runs until Dec. 12.
It’s been a while since I’ve been so delighted by an exhibit, but again, the Institute Library has always oozed heart, from its honest Instagram posts documenting its months-long repairs to its massive candy bowl at the front desk. I should’ve known.
The fun starts from not knowing where the exhibit is. You can follow my footsteps by checking the gallery upstairs, but come back down. You must follow the pointed fingers.
The art lives between books and shelves, and it’s alphabetized by artist or the name of the piece. This discovery induces a soft smile because of its practicality: This is a true index.
There is reprieve for introverts between shelves. The space is narrow enough, and the art small enough, that one person can properly sink their eyes on the piece. Some works have a small light next to them that you can click on.
I don’t know if I’ve ever been so close to a piece of art before that wasn’t made by a friend or relative. I was reminded of all the times I got a little too close to a painting at a museum, which always resulted in a security guard lingering around me. I savored this treat.
Naturally, my eyes wandered to the neighboring books as I stared at each piece.
It was easy to create associations between artwork and its neighboring books, or enjoy the book covers on their own.
Above a copy of Cat Crimes II hung Bella Mae, a collage by artist Clymenza Hawkins. I indulge in maximalism when working with collage, but Bella Mae is a beautiful example in focused restraint. My favorite section is the swell of fabric resembling a butterfly wing and a pale doily sandwiching the sharp dark elbows.
On a nearby bookshelf, a long-haired figure is walking through worlds in Heather Hope (Gendron)’s needlepoint tapestry, Traverse. Her forward-leaning posture relays a confidence and optimism, one that she can rely on to navigate this unknown terrain, even with its changing rock. She is nude, with nothing to hide behind, but unafraid. Her outline is a color that she’s picked up from the past world and will inform her new one.
The book next to her is Hearthstones: A Novel of the Roanoke River Country in North Carolina, one of many books at the Institute Library you can’t get on Amazon. While the figure is traversing plains that I’ve never seen, maybe I too could be so confident walking around in the new lands of North Carolina, or a new street in New Haven. On the other end of the tapestry stands Untimely Death. May as well enjoy walking somewhere new on the way to it, I suppose.
The Loving Meddler and Captain Ironhand frame Flower Sculpture by Kiara Matos. This is one of many pieces I felt benefited the most from the privacy offered by the bookshelves.
I leaned and hovered over to invade its personal space, moves I would usually refrain from doing in front of any sort of audience. Its smooth, butter-yellow outer layer protected an asymmetrical circle of wispier petals. It housed a sprouting and healthy stalk of a bulb that will soon outgrow its home, or be stunted by it.
“Glorious Index” is a rare type of exhibit that challenges visitors to be slow and curious (or else they may not even find where it begins). Even when I finally grasped the concept of its curation, I fidgeted on my phone while I was en (short) route to the next shelf and walked past three pieces. “Glorious Index” didn’t just encourage but demanded more of my presence. Fortunately, I left the Institute Library feeling like my patience was well-rewarded with every joyous discovery.
