Catalyst Grant Final Report
“Artist in Residence”
Please provide a brief narrative explaining your project and its outcomes.
The Liverpool Public Library contracted with local artist Julie Ehrentraut, owner of Mizu Marbling, to conduct a series of three workshops and five open Studio hours, in order to introduce the public to the art of water marbling. During the workshops Julie led students through the process of selecting colors and of using a variety of marbling tools and techniques to create patterns, and to then dye either scarves or bandanas. During the open Studio hours, Julie marbled paper bookmarks and answered patron questions about the water marbling process and her work.
After the workshops were completed, we hung the finished products in our Lobby as our September Art in the Lobby and held an opening reception to honor Julie and the workshop participants.
As a result of the project, 28 individuals were able to create a marbled piece of their own and approximately 20 individuals were able to interact with Julie and to learn more about water marbling. Nineteen individuals came to the final reception highlighting their work.
The largest obstacle we ran into was space, especially towards the end of the project. The scarves in particular needed to hang to dry, and because of their length and the number of them that were created, we had to work to quickly find a solution. We also needed quite a bit of space in the lobby to hang the items, and they couldn’t be hung using the picture hooks we normally use for art shows. We overcame both obstacles, but if we had anticipated these issues, we probably could have devised more efficient solutions.
What is the most remarkable accomplishment or finding of your project?
We have long had success with hands-on, artistic projects; however, we underestimated the interest that this series would generate. The two workshops for adults/teens had nearly 40 individuals on the waitlists, and individuals waited at the door for Julie to begin her open Studio hours and then remained for extended periods of time. We would like for the Artist in Residence to become a regular program—we will likely move towards selecting art mediums that allow us to open the experience to even more patrons than this one did.
How did your project differ from what you originally proposed?
The main difference was that the sample schedule from the original proposal was not what we implemented. We offered two programs that were for both teens and adults combined, as we were concerned that we would have more adults interested than we could accommodate, and not enough teens to fill the slots. Julie also did open Studio hours over three days, and did not use any time in the Studio that was not open to the public.
She also had to do some preparatory work at home, pretreating the materials to dye, and had to make a return trip to the library after the last workshop to iron the scarves and bandanas. We underestimated the amount of time that would be necessary for these activities. We also made minor adjustments to the food offered at the reception due to rising food costs.
Please provide a brief summary of your evaluation activities and/or results, if available.
We conducted a paper-based survey of the adults/teens who attended the workshops, and asked Julie to complete a separate survey as the artist. Of the 20 adults who attended, 17 completed surveys. All 17 gave the program a 5/5 rating, and 16 gave Julie a 5/5 for her teaching ability (the remaining respondent gave her a 4/5). One person indicated that this was the best program they had ever attended at the Liverpool Public Library.
Two respondents listed the timing as the only improvement they would make—because of the technique involved, only two participants could be actively involved in marbling at any given time. Others spent the waiting time selecting colors, discussing how they would marble their pieces, and chatting, but the programs did run longer than anticipated due to the wait.
We also asked Julie to complete an artist survey about her experience with the program. She reported that she found the format of the open studio hours and workshops to be satisfactory, especially because the alternating days ensured interest remained high. She was pleased with the level of support provided by the library and enjoyed the overall residency experience.
The scarves and bandanas hanging in our lobby have also generated a high level of interest from library patrons and have sparked many conversations around the pieces and program.
Alissa Borelli
Assistant Director, Liverpool Public Library
Are you interested in applying for a Catalyst Grant? Check out the grant page for the rules & requirements!
