The librarian does mosaics too

Ingvild Herfindahl was hired as the new library director at the Dodge Center Library earlier this year, replacing Angie Fern who had moved away.

Herfindahl had been the Kasson Library children’s librarian for several years when she decided to pursue her master’s degree in Library and Information Science. 

But she’s also interested in the mosaic arts and recently completed a custom mosaic on two sides of the historic building in downtown Rochester that houses the Grand Round Brewpub on the corner of Third Street Southwest and Broadway. 

Herfindahl explained that she has not taken any formal art training but when she met a mosaic artist in Lanesboro several years ago and learned to do some mosaics on her own, “I was immediately hooked,” she said.

This year, a friend of hers, Tessa Leung - who owns the Grand Rounds building - asked Herfindahl to create a custom mosaic for that building. A cement ribbon on the exterior of the building visually ‘broke up’ the historic brick façade. The area was apparently used to anchor awnings to the old building in years past. 

Herfindahl designed the 14-inch high 120-foot long mosaic and began assembling it in her studio into two-foot long sections – “That’s all I could lift,” she explained. 

“The blues in the mosaic represent the blue skies and waters of Minnesota, while the varying greens and whites mirror the natural and agricultural landscape of the region. The repeating circles remind us of the constant renewal of nature and the revitalization of the building itself,” she explained.

She was able to purchase the blue and white glass tiles but the green glass circles had to be cut by hand from large sheets of green glass. Two green circles were then fused in her glass kiln so together they would be the same thickness as the tiles.

The installation was a complex process. 

She rented a scaffold and worked on the building throughout the summer with help from her son, Anders Herfindahl-Quint, and her husband, Patrick Quint. Patty Foster was her glass-fusing partner and fellow grouter.

To prepare the concrete, Herfindahl had to cut off old bolts that still protruded from the wall and grind down any other bumps to create a smooth surface.

“To ensure the mosaic would hold up to our extreme weather, the tiles were cemented in place with thin-set mortar. After the mortar dried, we grouted the spaces between the tiles with a light-colored sanded grout,” she said.

The entire project took about six months.

“I hope my first public art project will inspire in others the creativity and appreciation for art that lasts for a lifetime,” she said. 

Last year Herfindahl was awarded an Emerging Artist Grant through the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council.