Hanging sculpture Crystara temporarily removed from Crerar Library atrium

For the next several weeks, visitors to Crerar may find that the main lobby feels a little emptier than usual. For the past 30 years, visitors to Crerar have walked under Crystara, a 30’ long aluminum and Waterford crystal sculpture by artist John David Mooney. Suspended above users as they made their way to the bookstacks and other library resources, the sculpture was designed to refract the sunlight coming in through the atrium skylight, changing the look of the entire lobby as the sun moved across the sky. Now, in order to repair the roof and replace the glass in the skylight, Crystara has been temporarily taken down.

Over four days, from July 7 to 10, workers lowered, disassembled, and moved the sculpture to the east side of the first floor. Work on the roof is scheduled to be finished mid-September, at which point the workers will return and the sculpture will be returned to the atrium. In the process, the new glass in the skylight should make Crystara gleam like new and help to fulfill the artist’s intention in a way viewers haven’t seen for years. 

After the break, see a slideshow featuring more pictures from the entire process.

[portfolio_slideshow id=24731]