New library wing to open featuring local artist’s work
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — The artwork of Raphael Gribetz, of Presque Isle, has been selected for the first exhibit to be displayed in the newly-completed wing of the Mark and Emily Turner Memorial Library.
Gribetz and his wife, Nilda, have long been supporters of the library, having established a connection with the facility shortly after moving here over two decades ago.
NEW WING FEATURES ART — The work of local artist Raphael Gribetz will be on display at the Mark and Emily Turner Memorial Library in Presque Isle, featured in the newly-completed Robert & Hope Akeley Memorial Wing. A grand re-opening event is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 1, and is open to the public.
“Twenty-five years ago, artist Raphael Gribetz and his wife, Nilda, moved to Presque Isle. Moving from New York City to northern Maine was a gigantic leap for these city dwellers but they found the local library offered great comfort,” said Lisa Neal Shaw, reference librarian.
The couple found the local public library offered surprising and amazing connections to the outside world. Having access to the most recent New York Times’ best-sellers and an array of periodicals and magazines from all over the world made the transition to country living much easier for the former New Yorkers.
“The Mark and Emily Turner Memorial Library became a symbol of having it all — namely living in the north, with access to all the latest news, art and literature,” she said.
There’s even more to enjoy, thanks to the recent renovation of the facility, made possible through a generous donation by Mary Smith.
“Last spring, a philanthropist named Mary Smith gave $1 million to renovate the library. With Mary’s donation and other local philanthropic donations, groundbreaking started last fall to renovate and add a wing to the library. Work crews labored through the winter, spring and summer,” said Shaw, noting renovations are now complete, with the expanded library “offering even more to the public.”
Within the new wing of the library is located a new art gallery.
“Raphael was chosen by the library board of trustees to be the first artist to exhibit in our beautiful new gallery,” said Shaw.
“I’m very grateful to the community of Presque Isle for treating Nilda and me so kindly all these years. I am also very grateful to Mother Nature for teaching me so much about organic form, which I use so much in my work. The magnificent snowstorms with cascading snow drifts, the brilliance of the light at different times of the day throughout the year teach relentlessly the beauty of form,” said Raphael Gribetz.
The art exhibit serves as a form of appreciation of the place he calls home, according to Gribetz.
“I hope that my work in this show illustrates my gratitude for living in such beauty, for living in so fine a community and for being able to arrive here in the north country and to have been able to make a life for ourselves,” Gribetz said.
His life experience is a major part of his work.
“I have had many amazing things happen in my artistic career. I am Jewish, and several years ago I was asked by the local Catholic parish to carve a life-size crucifix for the sanctuary. I was greatly moved and honored to be asked to do the work but also to learn about the deep meaning of the crucifix within the Catholic faith,” said Gribetz, who holds a master of fine arts degree from City College in New York and noted he’s studied art with “some of the best teachers.”
Living here in the north, Gribetz said he sees the manifestation of natural form and continues to have the opportunity to see the connection between art and humanity.
“My gratitude even extends to my years as a toddler. My parents were good friends of Jackson Pollock and his wife, Lee Krasner, in the ‘50s. As a child, I spent many hours in the proximity of Jackson. Now, with this great honor to exhibit my work in this new gallery in the midst of such an inspiring community, I am humbled,” said Gribetz.
Shaw said the expansion serves as an example of how, despite adverse times, great things can be achieved.
“This is an inspiring story in difficult times in that a local community has risen to the challenge of meeting a growing need. The Mark and Emily Turner Memorial Library offers the community of Presque Isle and beyond an array of services, from tutoring to children’s reading hour to the latest in contemporary literature. It is a wonderful place for parents to bring their children, for young people to prepare for the next day of school and for the aging to find interesting reading material,” said Shaw.
“The community of Presque Isle dug deep into their own pockets to meet the needs of their community. The larger library is now here; the dream has become a reality,” Shaw said.
“The Blessing of Revelation, Transformation and Redemption — a show of works by artist Raphael Gribetz” will open on Saturday, Oct. 1, at 3 p.m., in conjunction with the grand re-opening of the library at 39 Second Street, with the public encouraged to visit the new Robert & Hope Akeley Memorial Wing.
For more information on this event or to learn more about the Gribetz exhibit, contact Sonja Plummer-Morgan at pimelibrarian@gmail.com or call 764-2571.
