Lobby update project
Beginning this spring, Curtis Memorial Library’s main lobby will undergo an update to better serve our patrons and reflect how today’s visitor uses the library.
In 2023, Customer Experience Manager Sarah Brown visited 12 award-winning libraries throughout the country with the goal of bringing back best library practices and designs to update Curtis’ busy, 27-year-old lobby. An average of 900 people a day visit Curtis.
The library will work with local builder Frohmiller Construction and Maine architecture firm Simons Associates to renovate the lobby over the next several months. The new lobby will feature new, smaller-profile welcome and help desks on wheels, new seating and display areas on wheels, and lighting and electrical upgrades. These changes seek to improve patron flow, materials handling, and accessibility, and to offer a brighter, more flexible floor plan.
The lobby update project is being privately funded through the generosity and lead gifts of June and David Vail, of Brunswick; fundraising support from the Curtis Contemporaries; and other sources.
Exhibitions to celebrate Curtis’ maritime history
How did Curtis Memorial Library get its name? Why are there so many paintings and models of ships in the original 1904 Building? These and other questions about the library’s history will be answered in two exhibitions that will be on display in the original library building later this year.
One exhibition will focus on Capt. John Curtis, for whom the building is named. Curtis spent much of his life — like his father before him — commanding ships that transported cotton and other raw materials, primarily to England. It will also explore the life of his son, William John Curtis, who gave money and land to construct the 1904 Building and supported many other library projects until his death.
A display of ship paintings and related artifacts will explore some of the history of shipping and shipbuilding in the Brunswick area, especially in the mid-19th century.
William Curtis also began the tradition of donating paintings and other maritime art to the library. Several paintings by the late Harpswell artist Stephen Etnier, on loan from Bowdoin College, currently hang in the lobby and in the 1904 Building.
In mid-March, Curtis’ Art Committee will issue a call for art — seeking to curate and expand its art collection to ensure it reflects the many voices, histories and stories of Brunswick and Harpswell. Artists, donors and collectors will be invited to submit original artworks that capture the essence of our area and the diverse communities that live and work here. Selected works will become a vital, working part of the library’s mission.
Watch for more information about these exhibitions and the call for art in our weekly email newsletter and on our website and social media.
“Library Connections” is a monthly column that rotates among the three libraries that serve Harpswell: Cundy’s Harbor, Orr’s Island, and Curtis Memorial.
Joy Fehl is the development and marketing manager at Curtis Memorial Library. Candace Kanes is a historian and a former newspaper reporter and editor who serves on the library’s board and on its Art Committee.
