BRISTOL, Tenn., Feb. 4, 2019 — A collaborative project that showcases the artistic abilities of students and pays tribute to classic books is now on permanent display in the E.W. King Library at King University.

Created by students in Introduction to Visual Rhetoric and Graphic Design, a course requirement of King’s Digital Media Art & Design (DMAD) program, the images depict the spines of well-loved books like “Moby Dick” and “Paradise Lost.” Each design has been affixed to stair risers, artfully decorating the library with colorful images of great literary works.

“We spent about a month working on these designs,” said Assistant Professor of Photography and Digital Media Lee Jones. “The students researched their books and worked closely with the Library staff, who were their clients. As a result of this project, they gained design experience and a better understanding of what it is really like to produce work for a client.”

The recently unveiled designs are the fourth in the series that began several years ago when a student approached Dean of Library Services Erika Brammer with a cell phone photo of a similar project. After connecting with DMAD students, and finalizing a selection of classic books from diverse genres, Brammer arranged for the first designs to be installed in 2016. New designs are created each Fall Semester and unveiled during Spring Semester.

“Library visitors always get excited upon seeing the stair risers, often taking pictures of them and commenting on their favorite titles,” Brammer said. “This project is unique to King and people are impressed with the student work.”

Students who created the most recent designs said they began by becoming familiar with the theme of their chosen books – either by reading the entire thing or, as in the case of “War and Peace,” a brief synopsis. Careful attention was focused on choosing the appropriate colors, images and fonts to reflect the mood of the book and the period of time in which it was written, said student Bri Carder.

She created the design for “To Kill a Mockingbird,” choosing an image of a silhouette imprisoned in a jail cell and a tree. Both are powerful images within the book, she explained, and help illustrate the classic novel by Harper Lee.

Other books in the recently installed series include “The Odyssey,” “The Complete Poems of Robert Frost,” “Don Quixote,” “A Wrinkle in Time,” “The Grapes of Wrath,” “Silent Spring,” and “Invisible Man.” Bri and her classmates – Tiffany Bowers, Fausto Crapiz, Che’ Davis, Tani Houston, and Kayla McCracken – each created two of the book designs that are now on display.

Installation of the artwork was made possible through a gift from Nancy Clark, a 1949 graduate of King who held a work-study position in the Library while enrolled. After completing a master’s degree in Library Science, Mrs. Clark returned to King as a librarian in the 1960s.

Visitors are welcome to view the most recently installed student artwork and other designs in the series in the E.W. King Library during regular business hours. New students are currently being accepted for the Digital Media Art & Design Program at King. Those interested in learning more should contact Jones at [email protected] or (423) 652-4873.