Youngsters will take a cosmic journey at the new Morgan Hill
Library opening July 21.
Youngsters will take a cosmic journey at the new Morgan Hill Library opening July 21.
A sweeping mural of outer space will greet them in the children’s section of the $19-million building, spanning 44 feet of wall space and stretching 16 feet to the ceiling at its highest point.
Titled “Treasures of the Milky Way,” the piece shows 11 children floating through the eight planets along with demoted satellite Pluto, nebulae and various constellations.
“The idea is that you’re floating through space and you don’t have to worry about lack of oxygen,” said 55-year-old artist Victoria Sulski, who’s been working on the piece since March. “The children are all excited about being in space … there are also fabulous nebulae and shooting stars.”
Sulski, who lives in Paradise, located about 100 miles northeast of Sacramento in the Sierra Nevada foothills, has been painting murals for five years. She has taught various drawing and painting course during the past 17 years at different junior colleges.
She is one of six artists commissioned by the Friends of the Morgan Hill Library to provide permanent art for the new library. The group raised more than $180,000 for art and equipment for the library during the past year.
Sulski described herself as an avid reader. She said she hopes her art sparks curiosity in children to discover new worlds through books.
Sulski has spent nearly four months working on the piece, which incorporates acrylic paint on synthetic canvass. She is 90 percent finished, she said. Airbrush artist Peter Bartczak is assisting her with the final touches.
The mural is composed of four different panels, which will allow for it to be shipped to Morgan Hill in the coming weeks.
Morgan Hill’s 28,000-square-foot library is under construction next to the existing one on Peak Avenue. The Morgan Hill Redevelopment Agency is financing the project. The Santa Clara County Library will operate the facility as one of its eight branches.
The Beyond Books Campaign, organized by the Friends of the Morgan Hill Library, has raised money for sculptures, murals, multi-media equipment, a children’s puppet stage and other enriching elements.
