Library construction site gets a facelift

KENT — A chain link construction fence outside the Kent Memorial Library has been transformed into an open-air gallery of local agrarian scenes, thanks to a collaboration between the library and Kent-based professional photographer Cedric Gairard.

Since work began on the $7 million renovation of the historic Main Street building in April this past spring, the site has been closed off and vacant. Library operations, including the popular weekend book sale on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, have moved into a temporary satellite location on Kent Green at 10-12 Landmark Lane.

Library Director Sarah Marshall said that Gairard approached the library himself with the idea, positing that he open up his photo archives for the library to spruce up the sidewalk next to the construction site.

“It was kind of like choosing between your children, they were all so lovely and wonderful,” Marshall said of the photographs, which depict working landscapes and earthy snapshots of life in Litchfield and Dutchess Counties.

Marshall said that library staff also chose about eight additional images that they plan on cycling into the fence display.

Marshall said that Gairard donated the photos, and the vinyl printing was covered by local donors. She also said it enabled the library to print signs directing people to the temporary Kent Green location alongside regular hours and the weekend book sale times.

“It was just sort of a win-win for everybody,” she said.

Gairard is the founder of FieldWork Press, which publishes a print newspaper that highlights the interaction of work and landscape in the region. He also consults for clients as a digital designer and brand storyteller. The library has scheduled an artist’s reception for the photographer on Friday, Aug. 28 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. that is open to the public.

In terms of the library renovation, Marshall reported that progress has been smooth, and that she has been impressed with the project’s architecture firm—Chester, Connecticut’s Wyeth Architects—as well as the construction team, which is Torrington’s Millennium Builders.

She said the projection is for “substantial completion” by May 2027, meaning the library could begin moving back into the building then, but she noted that the move-in process could take some time given the scale of the renovation.