Local Artist Makes Donations to Rapides Parish Library

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image012Nationally renowned artist Mr. Morris Taft Thomas is giving back to the community with a generous donation for the new, soon-to-open Martin Luther King, Jr. Branch of the Rapides Parish Library.  Mr. Thomas has graciously offered to donate both a painting of Dr. King, and an 8-foot-tall sculpture honoring the late Dr. King.  The painting, which Mr. Thomas sketched using the traditional collage technique, was unveiled on March 18th at the Library Board of Control meeting, and depicts an amazingly lifelike pose of Dr. King. Mr. Thomas also presented the Board of Control with a small replica of the sculpture, which will be named, “Remembering the King”.

 

According to Mr. Thomas, a variety of materials, including oil pastels, pencils, pen and ink, stencil brush, and a fine grade of metal wire were used to create Dr. King’s portrait.  The metal sculpture “Remembering the King”, will be 8½ feet tall and weigh 375 pounds. Thomas described the sculpture as large metal circles, with some having heads in profile.  According to Thomas, this represents “a bond of unity, brotherhood, and strong family values”, and the vertical columns that carry the circles and heads represent “pillars of wisdom and strength”.

 

image009Library Board of Control member, Mrs. Linda McMahon commented, “We should celebrate the talents, skills and achievements of Morris Taft Thomas, who is entrusting a legacy of his view of the world in sculpture and drawing, for the newly constructed Martin Luther King, Jr. Branch Library.”

 

For information about the Rapides Parish Library, visit www.rpl.org or call (318) 445-2411.