Part of what makes reading a good book a pleasurable experience is finding a good place to read it. Santa Maria
Valley artists have created unique chairs to add flair to a cozy nook or quiet corner, helping to create the perfect reading place.
A lower-level storefront in the Santa Maria Town Center contains dozens of chairs representing several classic and contemporary books. More than 40 colorful contributions—pint-sized chairs, rocking chairs with characters, and benches with beauty—are on display. All will be given away in a raffle to benefit the Friends of the Library, which in turn will donate the money to the Santa Maria Public Library. Altrusa International, Inc.; PLAY; and the Friends of the Library are co-sponsoring the event.
Jackie MacNeil, on the library board, was inspired by a similar fundraiser in Los Alamos. She adopted the event and decided to add a twist: The theme should involve books or genres. Once the idea took shape, it wasn’t hard to get people on board to help out.
“Everyone has just come together on this,” MacNeil said. “Everyone I talked to instantly wanted to be involved. The artists have even asked already if they can paint a chair for next year.”
The chairs have been attracting attention. There are chairs that pay tribute to classic Golden Books and chairs that highlight such favorites as Winnie-the-Pooh and The Velveteen Rabbit. A Harry Potter chair draped with the cloak of invisibility is already a favorite, as is a Twilight chair.
One chair was anonymously dedicated to a Santa Maria resident who once worked for author Mary Lasswell. The chair is based on a Mary Lasswell book and the donor remains anonymous.
“My friend is wracking her brains trying to think of who dedicated it to her,” MacNeil said.
Some chairs come with accessories, but most of them come with the corresponding book that inspired the design.
“Some of the books are really rare, so we can’t get them, but most of the chairs will include a copy of the book,” MacNeil said.
Tickets are on sale now, and at $1 each, MacNeil said the price is affordable to everyone—and that’s the way she wanted it. She was adamant that the raffle ticket price be set at a point where anyone could have a chance to win a chair.
MacNeil originally wanted the fundraiser to correspond with the Beverly Cleary D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything and Read) event that marks Cleary’s April 12 birthday at the library, but the chair happening quickly outgrew the space. A Ramona chair inspired by Cleary’s endearing character stands as the chair that was to represent the event.
Though the chair raffle quickly evolved from its origins, MacNeil is thrilled with what it’s becoming.
“I can honestly tell you this has been a magical experience,” she said.
Arts Editor Shelly Cone wants you to sit down. Contact her at scone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Apr 5-12, 2012.