Our murals remind us of something we experienced together (either in the past or as a group of painters) and give us a guidepost for what we're working toward.

Biojewelry made from donated bone cells. Body modification for love. Free-hand sketches drawn in the air, captured by video and instantly materialized. Fabric built 3-dimensionally, layer by layer on a computer. Victimless leather. Health labs on a card in your pocket. Housing and city planning based on six-sided nanoparticle growth patterns. Furniture design that mimics the human body's ability to generate bone to support different areas of pressure. Mapping neighborhoods that yeild higher levels of social injustice and incarceration. Internet dating site data made into individual portraits that can be perfected and changed by the viewer.

Prepare to be amazed!

On this out-of-nowhere snowy day (it was a completely different season 24 hours ago), I thought it would be fun to look at some famous winter scenes throughout art history, all of which can be found in the 700s here at TSCPL.

The Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (1413—16 AD) is often referred to as "the king of illuminated manuscripts". Commissioned by Jean, Duc de Berry, one of the highest nobles in 15th-century France, it was painted by the Limbourg Brothers from Flanders (now Germany) and is a classic example of a Medieval book of hours. The image on the left, February, is from the calendar section and represents winter in a peasant village. The inhabitants of a farm are shown warming themselves by the fire, while in the background, daily life—cutting wood, taking cattle to market—goes on as normal. Much has changed in 650 years but I bet if you looked outside right now you'll see some things are just the same.

Happy New Year from Special Collections and the Sabatini Gallery!

Our 2008 exhibit schedule will bring visions of hell, bug machines, bingo-playing seniors, a national contemporary print competition, impressions of Kansas from TSCPL's permanent collection and recent developments in the field of book arts.

First up is Dante's Inferno: Interpretations by Edward Navone and Robert Rauschenberg opening Friday, January 25. The last time I made contact with Mr. Alighieri's Commedia was junior year of high school, 1986, between Canturbury Tales and Wycherley's Country Wife, none of which I can resurrect in conversation without help. So, I refreshed my memory here and with the help of this and this, and came away thinking the Inferno was kind-of like a 14th-century roast of who's who in western civilization (but without the laughs).

As of today we have two weeks until Hanukkah starts and one month until Christmas day and Kwanzaa week. If you’re like me and enjoy crafty gift-giving, you could probably use some fresh, last-minute ideas. My all-time favorite place to browse (we own the book AND magazine if you want to investigate off-line) is the ReadyMade website. Barbara Jacobs at the American Library Association's Booklist writes:

"...From the pages of ReadyMade magazine appears this compendium of more than 30 projects making the most of recycled paper, plastic, wood, metal, glass, and fabric. Not content to simply show and tell, authors Berger (magazine editor in chief) and Hawthorne (magazine publisher and CEO) add their own funny commentary. Want to debate the utility of chopsticks versus forks? Need to research the manufacture and ingredients of polyester, say, or specific alloys? Desire non-do-it-yourself recycling ideas for some of the more than 730 pounds of paper an average American uses each year? Instructions are easy to follow, the tone is always engaging, and all the projects are practical (for instance, why not have a beer-can room divider or FedEx CD rack?). Appended are abbreviations, hardware screw sizes, conversions, and glossary."

My favorite ideas for what to give your office mates, babysitter, pet, mailman, neighbors, coach, day care provider—that one person whose name you can never remember—are the ReadyMade shrinkysheet designs. These are so cool.