Card Design Contest Winners: Libraries and Kindness Are Free
The BPL held a Library Card design contest this Spring to promote kindness and libraries with new library cards for your wallet. This September, the Berkeley Public Library is supporting Library Card Sign-up Month by featuring five new card designs. This is a great time to get a new library card!
Contest Winner: Marissa Wu (they)
“I was inspired by the theme of "kindness" to imagine what Berkeley might look like if life was centered around the public library, reflecting the library's values of community care, diversity, and joy. I believe that a society that prioritizes kindness would be a place where multigenerational community can flourish, affordable housing and clean transportation are abundant, and all neighbors take care of each other. Additionally, as public libraries around the country are facing disinvestment, I wanted to depict a world in which the opposite was true, and our public institutions were fully supported and thriving.”
Honorable Mention: Andra Weber
"I was inspired by all the little kids I see visiting the North Berkeley Library where they flip joyfully through books, play in the atrium, and soak in all the library goodness. I noticed the library didn't have a card design that might appeal to kids. So I created the design to remind children of all ages, that the library is for everyone, kindness can be as simple as helping each other return library books and everyone deserves space to enjoy a good story...even cats and dogs!"
Honorable Mention: Abigail Mullen
“I was going through a unit in school where we were learning about the cruelness committed to our First People throughout the United States. I had been thinking about what to submit regarding kindness when I came across an article in my school binder about First People. I wanted to submit an art piece that represented kindness no matter heritage or skin color, global kindness. I have been so inspired by all activists that work so hard to make the world a better place and hope I represented that in my submission. Love and kindness on a global level.”
Honorable Mention: Alejandra Martínez
“My inspiration for the mixed media artwork is to show that humanity is kindness. We all come in difference shapes and colors. Displaying unity and kindness in color.”
Honorable Mention: Ronald Chung
“I decided to communicate the word and meaning of "kindness" by utilizing both symbols and letters. I settled on my interpretation of the Berkeley Public Library building covered with kindness symbols graffiti and an Aesop quote (emanating from inside the Library).
Ultimately, I imagined the user action of going to the library, selecting a book and then pulling out the library card to check out. During the check out process, I want the user to be strongly reminded to be kind the rest of the day.”