Project Overview

Summer | Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library Children's Area

“Since its installation in the children’s area in 1996, Summer continues to provide a magical place for children to explore the library’s collection of books.
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Local Artist Nancy Cheairs is widely known for her paintings that utilize vibrant colors and highly glazed surfaces. Her work at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library gave Cheairs the opportunity to take her aesthetic off of the canvas and into the third dimension. The artwork she designed for the children’s area of the library has been compared to the experience of walking into one of her paintings, complete with a forest of trees and a glass house. Since its installation in the children's area in 1996, her piece, titled Summer, continues to provide a magical place for children to explore the library's collection of books.

About the Artist

Nancy Cheairs

Nancy Cheairs, a native of Memphis, TN, has exhibited her work frequently throughout the region. Her intention is to discover connections between imagination, spirit, history, and concrete reality, creating a vision of a life that is alive with mystery. Cheairs' paintings can be found in many public and private collections, including First Tennessee Bank, Memphis, TN; the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, TN; and Promus Hotel Corporation, Memphis, TN. She also recently completed a major commission for the Wolfchase Galleria, painted the toddler area for the Children’s Museum, and has done consulting work for the stage design of Opera Memphis’ versions “The Magic Flute.”