Original art, displayed throughout all three library locations, graces our spaces with whimsy, wonder, and vibrant color. The library’s art collection features more than 30 pieces of contemporary American artwork that is challenging, intriguing, and enduring.
The library also welcomes community artists to exhibit. Opportunities are guided by our commitment to equity and anti-racism. Exhibits—in the Main Library’s second floor gallery space and at Maze Branch Library—change monthly. Artists: Submit your proposal »
On display at Main
October 1-November 2: My Artistic Journey by Clifford Phillips »
On permanent display
The library’s public art collection is on permanent display; most pieces are located in the Main Library. For more details about a specific piece, hover over then click on the individual images below. You can also enter an artist’s name or the art’s title into the search box below.
Replica Benin bronzes
On display on the Main Library’s third floor, replica Benin bronzes can spark important conversations about pre-colonial African culture and the repatriation of cultural heritage artifacts. The original Benin bronzes, from the Kingdom of Benin in what is now southern Nigeria, are at the heart of debates over appropriated treasures in the museum world. As the Christian Science Monitor put it in an April 2019 article, “Who should be the caretaker of Africa’s cultural heritage–the Africans who created it, or the Europeans in whose museums it has long been displayed?”
The replicas at the library represent artwork from the Kingdom of Benin, or the Edo Empire (circa 1440–1897), a pre-colonial African civilization in the southern region of modern-day Nigeria. The original Benin bronzes were made for the court of the “oba,” or divine ruler, and held ceremonial significance. They represented previous rulers, decorated the palace of the oba, and recorded military histories. The original artworks are now owned by museums around Europe and the United States. The Nigerian government has called several times for their return.
The library’s replicas were among items we received from Oak Park Elementary School District 97 in 2016, when the library assumed ownership of the Multicultural Collection. The replicas are valuable, both culturally and monetarily. Similar pieces cost approximately $500-$3,000 each.
Contested cultural treasures
In 1897, British troops invaded the Kingdom of Benin and looted roughly 1,000 pieces of Benin artwork. Some artifacts were given to the British Museum, and others were auctioned off to pay for the invasion. Most ended up in museums around Europe and the United States, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
According to a 2018 report, about 90% of sub-Saharan Africa’s cultural heritage was located outside the continent. That report called for stolen artifacts to be permanently returned.
Since 2010, the Benin Dialogue Group, made up of museum directors and delegates from both Europe and Nigeria, have been working to bring artifacts back to Nigeria for display in Benin City.
Further reading
- Your library card gives you access to full-text, subscription-based resources that Google can’t offer. Below are related articles, available to read online with your library card.
- Kristen Chick, “Art of the steal: European museums wrestle with returning African art,” Christian Science Monitor, April 30, 2019. View the full-text digital article » Thank you to Oak Park Videographer Joe Kreml and the Village of Oak Park for creating this inside look at the library’s art collection »
- Joseph Nevadomsky, “Casting in Contemporary Benin Art,” African Arts, Summer 2005, Vol. 38 Issue 2, p. 66-95. View the full-text digital article »
- Siddhartha Mitter, “Addressing Returns,” Art in America, March 2019, Vol. 107 Issue 3, p. 21-24. View the full-text digital article »
Six local artists ‘In Conversation’
To enhance your public art experience and better connect you with the unique creativity and spirit of six local artists, brief recorded interviews are available. From this webpage, click on the LISTEN link to hear the artist. From inside the Main Library, call the unique “In Conversation” phone number posted next to the work.
Where to find it: Main Library Third Floor, Study Room D
Where to find it: Main Library Third Floor, Study Room F
Where to find it: Main Library Second Floor, East Wall
Where to find it: Main Library Third Floor, Study Room C
Where to find it: Main Library Third Floor, Outside Study Room A
Where to find it: Main Library Third Floor, Study Room B
Funding
The library’s original art collection acquisitions were funded by the Bricks for Art program and Gala Preview Party both held before the 2003 opening of the current Main Library building.
