Library Events

This fall, the landscape of the Allen Public Library’s courtyard will be permanently transformed with the installation of Oceano. A reception for this impressive 600-pound bronze sculpture on a 2,900-pound base will be at 9:30 am, Saturday, November 14th.   The unveiling follows at 10:30 am.  Roger Stoller, the sculpture’s creator, will present a brief survey of its development and symbolism.  

At 2 pm, Roger will discuss his philosophy of art and give his interpretation of Oceano at a Bach to Books program in the Allen Public Library Civic Auditorium.

Sponsored by the Public Art Committee, Roger Stoller’s Oceano was selected through a competitive process held in July 2008.  A metaphor for Ocean of Knowledge, Roger declares, “Knowledge is a key to what makes us human, and a library is one of civilization’s doorways to our communal wealth of knowing.  Knowledge has no limit; it is always growing, forever discovering new frontiers. The Mobius strip, a single continuous surface with no end, is used here to signify infinity and the endless possibility of learning.” 

At the age of 21, Roger served as an assistant to the renowned inventor and visionary Buckminster Fuller.  He also studied in sculpture Isamu Noguchi’s studio.  From these giants, he learned about the ubiquitous impact of geometry in nature. The installation of his bronze Tetra Con Brio at the Strathmore Music Center in Bethesda, Maryland, was featured in the Washington Post.  His other works are displayed at Magnussen Lodge at Lake Tahoe, California, and in Mountain View, California.

Roger prefers public art in the residential and corporate environment because it provides “an intangible alternate dimension that enhances a city's quality of life.  It has the capacity to reveal insights about nature, culture, history, community and ourselves.” When asked what he hopes Allen Public Library patrons will gain from Oceano, Roger states, “Good art makes us wonder and engages the mind.  My desire is that people will experience this wonder, and the joy I found in creating this work. As people encounter it, I hope that it will inspire the particular sharing of creativity that can happen in a place of learning.”

For information, call 214-509-4911.