“I want to deconstruct the Dewey Decimal System in the library,” librarian Alanna Graboyes stated. From someone else it would seem like a laughable notion, but from Graboyes the statement rang with conviction and a sense of possibility.
Installing a new organizational system for the books to encourage a more advanced “web thinking” method is just one of the changes Graboyes has planned for the new library.
When originally approached with a sketch about the upcoming library, Graboyes expressed an interest in planning out the design herself. This decision not only had the confidence of more than a decade’s work in art, but also with a personality of creativity and ingenuity.
Graboyes began her artistic pursuits in the textile industry, which then translated into painting, from which it flourished into a full-blown hobby. Now she operates multiple blogs with many of her paintings and has hosted various successful open house events to sell her collections.
Though her hobby outside of work has been more than successful, Graboyes has found a way to include it in her job at Marshall as well. The paintings featured on the wall nearest to her desk and on a majority of the walls on the side closest to the Statesmen room are her work.
“I didn’t just want to hang up posters like many other places do because I believe that they talk down to the students,” Graboyes said. Therefore, she decided to create paintings that would instill a more creative environment in order to allow the students a more imaginative backdrop to their reading experience.
According to Graboyes, some of the paintings were designed specifically after the “zooma” chairs, a set of round, colorful chairs in the library, and contain elements that are subtle yet relatable enough for the students.
One of Graboyes’ favorite is the painting containing a clashing of the bright colored “zooma” chairs as they try to escape out of the window toward the bus. Paintings which are part of another collection are based on the spines of books, where she took specific lines from the books as inspirations for her work.
In addition to the paintings, Graboyes also taught two art classes in the school, one to the ESOL teachers and one to the IB Art students.
“The focus of the classes was the importance of conducting research before starting on any piece,” Graboyes said.
As part of the class, she painted some paintings using Japanese layout combined with content that she acquired from her past experiences. This mesh of traditional layout with her personal life provided a more fulfilling and unique experience that painting either one or the other would have lacked.
Through her constant devotion in encouraging a creative and educational space for the students, Graboyes has integrated her artistic talent with her job, finding a balance between the two that is mutually enriching for her as well as the school.