In response to the Black Lives Matter movement, some friends of mine founded the group Rise Up Against Racism here in the San Francisco. Their flagship project has been to build Little Free Antiracist Libraries, fill them with a curated set of books for children and adults, and to install and maintain them with the help of stewards throughout the region.
The RUAR leadership approached me about designing and building their first batch of libraries. We prioritized simplicity, paintability and durability as they commissioned local artists to decorate each one with a unique mural. The libraries were constructed with MDO plywood, the same indestructible material that CalTrans uses to make highway road signs. As of this writing, we’ve installed 4 libraries and counting. Examples below:
