On a summer day in 2010, I took the #83 bus south from Donlands subway station to Jones Library. Even though it was my second visit, the experience was first-time fresh because I noticed so many more details. For example, I’d previously walked right past a wonderful textile art tableau that was displayed behind glass just beside the entrance.
Created by April Quan, the same artist who fashioned the Woolen Castle at Deer Park branch, the Jones piece also featured a castle but had expanded its historical reach to include a hammock-reader and a mechanic.
I loved the way the prince seemed to be saying, “Come on out of the book, princess.” The royal couple seemed unfazed by the presence of a car instead of a carriage and a hammock instead of a bed piled with mattresses on top of a pea.
Stone, wood, and sunshine greeted my eyes when I walked through the entrance to Jones. With the skylight’s help, the wooden floors glowed, and a stone wall near a large decorative quilt further warmed this small neighbourhood branch. Many patrons were taking advantage of the extensive Chinese collection, which included newspapers and magazines, and exuberant youngsters enlivened the computer bank.
A gorgeous quilt hanging on the wall above the computers captured my attention. From a nearby notice, I learned that the textile piece was a Victorian Crazy Quilt that had been completed in six sessions by a team of volunteers in the winter of 2010. Textile artist Sandra Reford had guided the quilters, and the results of their artistic collaboration delighted me.
I loved how the quilt hummed and vibrated with colour. I could have studied it for hours and found new patterns and pictures, but the following images immediately jumped out: planets, suns, beach balls, tents, flowers, teddy bears, a pineapple, and an elephant. Like a collage, the crazy quilt managed to corral these disparate elements together into a coherent whole.
For a branch with only 3,636 square feet of floor space to its name, there was a lot to see and appreciate at Jones. Around the corner from the quilt was a wooden puppet theatre with a black velvet curtain. Leafy boughs filled the windows facing Dundas Street East, and original art decorated the walls above the children’s bookshelves. My favourite was Shazina’s heart-centred LOVE painting. Thick green and yellow letters spelled the most important word of all.
Thank you Shazina and Jones Library, for your large heart, amazing quilt, and hospitable atmosphere!