After two years and 200 tiles, library's tile project comes to close on Saturday

Thursday, June 11, 2015
Libby Caskey, project coordinator, holds two ceramic tiles up to the wall in the lower level of the Sikeston Public Library. Families will have a final opportunity for individuals to purchase and paint a tile from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday in the McAmis Community Room at the Library. (Leonna Heuring, Staff)

SIKESTON -- From the footprint of a child to a memorial of a loved one, the 200-plus tiles designed for the Children's Tile Exhibit at the Sikeston Public Library are all different

And that's exactly what library officials wanted when the tile project fundraiser began in the summer of 2013.

"It's fun to see all the tiles made and the wide variety of designs," said Ron Eifert, assistant director of the Sikeston Public Library, adding some of the designs feature drawings of children's favorite animated characters.

Others may feature a child's handprint or marks made by a 2- or 3-year-old while another depicts a child's represents a Sikeston High School class and features a bulldog.

What's important, project director Libby Caskey said, is the tile reflects its artist, and the artist makes the tile their own.

"It's what the child -- or an adult -- represents at a point in time," Caskey said, adding years from now those individuals will enjoy visiting the library and seeing their tiles.

Caskey said she's enjoyed seeing the creative process by others during tile sessions over the past two years. Some come in knowing what they want to design while others design what inspires them at the moment -- their favorite color, team or character, she said.

This Saturday marks the final time residents can paint a tile for the exhibit to be permanently displayed in the lower level of the library. The final tile-painting session will be from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the McAmis Community Room at the Library.

For the full story, see Thursday's e-edition.

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