COLLECTION | Fabled

Area C Projects’ artwork for the new Vivian J. Lincoln Library entitled Fabled draws upon the library’s role as a teller of stories and stories as creators of place. The artists suggest that what people know about a place comes from the stories it tells about itself. The artwork is an interior, upright sculpture composed of long, slender wooden and glass rods that appear to be descending from the ceiling. The artwork form steps off from the form of a pillar, one that is not complete but rather captured in the act of assembling itself. From the ceiling of the library lantern, its individual parts cascade down and find their place in the developing structure below. While the pillar form represents the stories already in place, the falling pieces represent the voices of community members who have not yet been born or arrived here – the voices from which tales will continue to grow.

The artists partnered with the Fort Worth Public Library to collect pictures, video and stories from residents of Fort Worth over several months. These digital memories, along with some collected through the artists’ research, are incorporated into the artwork and reveal themselves in small glass apertures tucked into the artwork. Select wood elements have text phrases and topography etched into them. The digital elements are layered and variable, so that the experience is always fresh for the viewer.

AREA C Projects is a Providence, Rhode Island-based public art practice of Erik Carlson and Erica Carpenter. Drawing on backgrounds in multimedia installation, architecture, audio composition and performance they create public artworks that reveal unexpected points of commonality in our shared surroundings. Lead artist Erik Carlson brings over 10 years of public art practice and 14 years of architectural experience to their projects. Erica Carpenter’s background in spatially driven poetics helps shape the team’s conceptual process. They work in broad array of media including glass, wood, metal, light, and text – sometimes applying these analog elements on their own, sometimes in combination with digital media –using community outreach and archival materials to deepen ties to local life and culture.

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The library is named for Vivian J. Lincoln (1956-2022), a longtime public educator who was principal of Jackie Carden Elementary School in the Crowley ISD for 15 years before retiring in 2017. Her love for children, education and excellence was demonstrated throughout all aspects of her life.

This project was included in the 2018 Bond Program. The 18,000 square foot library was designed by HKS Architects and built by Muckleroy & Falls. Its features include an idea lab for visitors of all ages and a City of Fort Worth municipal court. Nestled next to a growing residential area, the parklike property includes a small hiking trail behind the library. A grand opening and public art dedication event was held on July 8, 2023.