Library Art Collection October 21, 2008

The Bloomington Public Library owns a large and diverse art collection. Various pieces, many by local artists, are located throughout the building. The collection housed on the second floor includes stained glass windows, paintings and sculptures. Two pieces depicting Bloomington native Adlai Stevenson can be found in the Quiet Reading Room. Hanging in the stairwell are the Delft tiles, they were presented to Withers Public Library by James S. Ewing, who was the ambassador to Belgium under President Grover Cleveland. In the lobby hangs 'Sheep in Pasture', an oil on canvas painting, by the artist Alfred Montgomery. Montgomery, known the world over as the "farmer artist," was a resident of Bloomington from 1893 to 1905. This painting was completed in 1896 and later presented to the library by Mrs. B. D. Lucas.