Sunlight pours through the ceiling of the Arvonne Fraser Library, illuminating colorful wooden boxes that line the stairwells while children build towers from translucent blocks. It’s an unusual scene inside a public library.

Just steps from the bustle of Dinkytown, one of Hennepin County’s 41 libraries sits unassumingly, relatively small, gray and square. It blends historic architecture, public art and community into a space many University of Minnesota students pass without noticing. 

Following a major renovation 6 ½ years ago, Hennepin County commissioned Minnesota artist Kada Goalen to create public art for the library through its One Percent for Art program, which dedicates 1% of some county construction budgets to public art. 

Her art, “Boxes,” was installed in fall 2025. Goalen said she was inspired by the building’s architecture and wanted to reflect the stories, history and identity of the surrounding neighborhood through ideas gathered from community members. 

Designed in 1963 by Minnesota architect Ralph Rapson, the building is noteworthy for its concrete roof, waffle-slab ceiling and Brutalist architecture, a style marked by exposed concrete, geometric forms and structure. Preserving Rapson’s vision was a priority when the building was renovated. 

For librarian Maggie Whitman, who helps connect children and families with the library, the building is what makes Arvonne Fraser distinct. 

“If they took a brick out, they reused that brick,” Whitman said about the renovation. “They really kept the integrity of the original architecture.” 

Goalen, a St. Paul native who has been creating public art for 25 years, designed a series of three-dimensional boxes that resemble the geometric forms of Rapson’s architecture. “Boxes” tries to visually extend the architectural style onto the walls of the stairwells, adding bright blue, yellow, green and red colors to the concrete and brick interior. 

Rather than competing with the Brutalist structure, Goalen said she wanted her art to simply add warmth and color. 

“When you walk in, you see that beautiful ceiling, and I wanted to continue that motif onto the wall,” Goalen said.

While the design was inspired by the building, the stories inside the boxes came from the community. Goalen worked with people in the neighborhood by asking them to decorate small boxes and respond to questions about what home, the library and their neighborhood meant to them. The conversations helped shape her art.  

Goalen also invited children to create small-scale versions of the boxes that later would become part of Goalen’s inspiration. Whitman said the involvement of young people was one of the most meaningful parts of the project because it allowed their perspectives to become part of a permanent piece of public art. 

“It’s always nice to see when youth’s voices can be incorporated too,” said Whitman. 

The art features imagery connected to the neighborhood, including St. Anthony Falls, the Stone Arch Bridge, native plants and wildlife. Goalen said she wanted the artwork to reflect the library’s purpose — a place where people discover stories, ideas and imagination. 

“I wanted to have a storybook quality to it and to evoke library books and books in general,” she said. 

Arvonne Fraser Library has become a gathering place for students, families, and neighborhood residents. Whitman said the library wants to be a space where everyone feels welcome. 

“We’re the public library, so we’re open to everybody. Access to information and resources,” she said. 

Goalen wants “Boxes” to bring joy to visitors and, “ … capture the beauty of the library itself.”