AND AROUND THE TOWN
Oro y Plata — Colors of Montana
Lewis & Clark Library
120 S Last Chance Gulch St.
Helena, MT
In October 2023, Waltner donated “Oro y Plata — Colors of Montana” to the Lewis & Clark Library in Helena, Montana.
The donation comes a year after Waltner visited his daughter, Mia Woods, who lives in Helena. Having already donated three large mobiles, Waltner knew the space held great potential. He struck up correspondence with John Finn, Director of Lewis & Clark Library, who was instantly on board with the idea.
“Oro y Plata — Colors of Montana” features three large lower branches and three small upper branches. Each large branch boasts different shades of the same color: blue, green, and yellow. Each small branch contains a shade from each large branch. Within the large branches, a subsection is devoted to shades of silver and gold, for which the mobile is given its name.
While Waltner admits that this mobile is a simple attempt to get “color up in the air,” it is of this humble author’s opinion that this mobile plays off the themes present in his other library donations: that libraries incite change within us (“Open Your Mind”), and that our differences are what make us beautiful (“True Colors”).
The inspiration for this mobile came from Montana’s state motto “Oro y Plato,” which is Spanish for “Gold and Silver.” The mobile was recently featured on KTVH news.
Open Your Mind
Hesston Public Library
300 N Main St
Hesston, KS 67062
Waltner donated “Open Your Mind” to the Hesston Public Library. The mobile affirms what public libraries hold near and dear: that access to resources, safe spaces, and a desire to understand will open the readers mind, and that opening often starts with small pieces that just don’t quite fit.
“Open Your Mind” features three prominent sections, further broken into three more groupings. Three oddly-shaped, different-colored pieces draw the eye at the top. To Waltner, these pieces are intentional: these are the pieces that don’t fit the mold, the differences that cause a chain reaction in our understanding. They are the small bursts of understanding and awareness that force us to question, discover, and learn more.
To Waltner, a library is a sphere of discovery and influence, a place where knowledge and friendship can be discovered between old and new pages. “Open Your Mind” invites the readers underneath to realize that we are but a delicate balance of mind, body, and soul, and the beginnings of change can be different and odd. Even depending on where you stand, change looks and starts a bit differently for everyone but it always leads to better balance.
True Colors
Advanced Learning Library
Wichita Public Library
711 West 2nd St N
Wichita, KS 67203
Waltner donated “True Colors” to the Advanced Learning Library of the Wichita Public Library, his second donation to a library and third overall community donation.
“True Colors” features a cascading waterfall of vivid colors: baby blue, French pink, soft violet, Shocker yellow, deep blue, and mossy green offer a kaleidoscope of color against a stark white wall. To Waltner, this explosion of color (and its fitting name), pays homage to a public library’s unconditional acceptance of its patrons. No matter who we are, where we’ve been, or what we are aiming to achieve when entering a library, we are accepted and welcomed. We are invited to seek the knowledge offered freely from a library’s shelves, unburdened by society’s expectant gaze.
The inspiration for this mobile came to John as he watched one of the Bethel Choir’s winter concerts. There, a line from one of the songs struck him:
“Your true colors are beautiful.”
And beautiful it is, both the mobile and the patron who gazes upon it. The mobile features bright colors and a smattering of different shapes, not unlike our myriad and unique differences. Like the mobile and its many parts, it is a thing to behold when we, as humans, perform that wondrous dance that somehow makes sense of it all. It can be messy. It can be chaotic. But there is beauty in the chaos. There is acceptance of ourselves. There is acknowledgement that each one of us offers a difference that balances us all.
There is love in this world still.
Prior to installing the mobile, the library’s design team and the
Wichita City Council both needed to sign off on the design and
placement. It was erected on May 23rd, 2023 above the library’s
stairwell to the second floor, and it draws the reader’s eyes as they ascend or descend through Wichita’s newest community addition. It reminds the reader that each tidbit of knowledge we grasp, each iota of wisdom earned, each rabbit hole we thoroughly explore can be shared and enjoyed with those around us. We may be different colors. We may have different shapes. But when we enter a library, we have a similar goal: to learn and explore without prejudice, to accept others, and to find the beauty in their true colors.
Spring
Mark Arts
1307 N Rock Rd
Wichita, KS 67206
Waltner donated “Spring” to Mark Arts after his debut “Murder of Mobiles” exhibit ended at its gallery. See the news article about it!
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“Spring” has three major sections cascading down, each set with 9-15 pieces. The largest mobile he has made, “Spring” began to balance itself hanging from a branch outside his garage until he discovered a warehouse nearby and a friend who would allow him to work there. And until he sent a picture to Chloe Lang, Gallery Director at Mark Arts who was fascinated. When I asked why she was drawn to the large elegant 40-pound mobile which would have been very difficult to hang so high, she answered that she liked both the concept of “activating a space” and encouraging the art community. This elevated space is, indeed, beautifully activated by “Spring.”
– Raylene Hinz-Penner for the BCMS Kaleidoscope
Contact
Explore space and movement in a whole new way
John Waltner
email: johndwaltner@gmail.com
phone: (316) 727-9954