The 2009 Summer Reading Program at the Albert Lea Public Library is Be Creative @ Your Library. The Summer Reading Program is designed to explore the worlds of music, dance, art, books, and more. The program is open to young people, preschool through teen, with programs, prize drawings, story hours, special programs and more. The reading element of the program encourages families to make reading a family activity to help their children reach their reading goals. The Art Zone Studio is designed as an added component of the program. Art Zone Studio is a partnership between the Albert Lea Public Library and the Albert Lea Art Center. The Studio will produce artwork to be displayed in the City Center’s stairwells that are used by employees and in other employee stairwells and hallways throughout the city.

The Albert Lea Art Center will be supplying an artist every Wednesday to instruct and assist our budding artists. Beth Tostenson will be the first local artist to contribute and there will be teenage artists who will also be on hand to help.

Including local artists of all ages adds the benefit of intergenerational interaction to the project. The art work will be done on a hardboard canvas with acrylic paints, paint pens and other material. The finished artwork will be preserved with a protective sealer and hung in Art Zone Galleries (stairwells, hallways, and break rooms) throughout the city. At the end of the project we will have an opening event for the Art Zone Gallery. We will list all the Art Zone Galleries locations throughout the city and have the contributing artists on hand to lead tours for employees, family and friends. The city’s Art Zone Galleries will provide a permanent display of the artwork produced during the Albert Lea Public Library 2009 Summer Reading Program which will serve as a visual reminder of our ongoing commitment to our Blue Zone Pledges.

The goal of the project is to encourage employees to make the health choice and use the stairs as a quick way to add physical activity to their day. It is a form of everyday exercise that requires no wardrobe change and the “special” equipment is already installed. Studies have shown that more people will take the stairs if artwork is displayed.

The funds for the material needed for this project have been provided by the following organizations and businesses: Albert Lea Art Center, Freeborn Lumber, Home Depot, Lou-Rich, Mrs. Gerry’s and Root River Hardwood Inc.

For more information, contact the Albert Lea Public Library at 377-4350.