Not only does the St. Charles Public Library, with its collection of over 400,000 items, serve as a beloved resource and community center, it also offers a treasure trove of art lovingly gathered over the years. 

Home to one of the largest permanent art collections on display in the Tri-Cities area, the collection has evolved significantly since it started.

Donors, artists, and Friends of the Library have been the main source of the collection.
An expansive spreadsheet documents the collection’s individual works, showing that the earliest acquisitions date back to the 1930s, when the Illinois Emergency Relief Commission [IERF] donated a set of lithographs. 

IERF was a state agency established in 1932 to provide money and supplies to destitute citizens during the Great Depression that later collaborated with President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration. This remarkable framed set is visible to patrons in the ramp to the Carnegie Community Room on the library’s upper level.

Other works include other sculptures (including 1870s bronze sculptures donated by the Dellora Norris estate) and old photographs dating back to 1900, plus modern images, paintings, woodblocks, and a vibrant outdoor mural. 

“I believe the library’s remarkable art collection has grown over the years from the Boards’ recognition of the importance of art in an individual’s cultural experience and growth,” said former library director Diana Brown. “They have been fortunate to have the active support of the community, the Friends, and the Foundation, who share their commitment to providing an enriching and inspiring environment.” 

Kate Buckson, the current director, shares that commitment. She chairs the Art Committee, joined by representatives from the Library Board, the St. Charles Library Foundation, Friends of the Library and staff.  They are working on research to create a map, possibly with audio, for patrons to tour the art of the library out on public view. 

Since 1979, the library has also offered a rotating Artists Gallery located on the main level. Community artists apply to showcase their work, and every eight weeks a new artist puts up a display. 

In 2020, the library commissioned a bronzed relief by local sculptor Larry K. Johnson to hang over the fireplace as part of the building’s renovation. 

“My ‘Porta’ series deals with the classic theme of an entry, a door, a window, or a passage into a new space. The piece explores the transformation of an arch’s keystone – its strongest element -- into organic movement of form and content,” Johnson said. “It allows the viewer to visually enter another dimension. It’s a perfect choice for the library where new worlds and discoveries are waiting to be made.”

The collection extends outdoors with large pieces. In June of 2025, Friends of St. Charles Public Library unveiled a mural with a garden theme, the work of local artists Danielle Casali and Sam DeCarlo. It features Midwest native plants and pollinators along with a mosaic moth and butterflies. 

In addition to its beauty, people can donate funds for recognition name plates that will become part of the mural, offering a place of remembrance and reflection for the community.

"Art has always been central to the human experience, and is a fitting companion to literature,” said Claudia Frost, St. Charles Public Library Board Trustee. ”The SCPL art collection covers a wide range of subjects and styles as does our library's literature collection.  Our library community is proud to share these wonderful gifts as both a way to show appreciation and commitment to preserving them for future patrons." 

Lucky visitors to the St. Charles Library will find art just about everywhere they look. 

This piece was written by Ellen Jo Ljung, a longtime Geneva resident, author, award-winning educator, and glass artist. Visit her website to learn more.

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