Westerville, OH – A giant egg has hatched at the Westerville Public Library and a baby dragon now perches on the roof overlooking State Street in Uptown Westerville.
This is the second dragon created as an art installation by students and staff from The Point at Otterbein University. The first dragon, affectionately named Hilda, spent four Octobers on display at the library during the annual Wizards & Wands Festival, inspiring visitors of all ages.
The new dragon, Agnes, “hatched” from a 6-foot egg (also created by The Point) and was named with the help of 850 visitors who voted on their favorite option in September. (The votes were so close staff had to do a recount!) When revealed, Erin Francoeur, Executive Director of the Westerville Public Library good-naturedly exclaimed, “I can't believe that BIG dragon fit in that SMALL egg!”
Agnes’ name was inspired by Agnes Meyer Driscoll, a code breaker during WWII who once lived in the house that is now the Westerville History Museum. According to the historic marker placed at 110 South State Street, Agnes Meyer Driscoll was known as “the first lady of naval cryptology”. During World War II, Driscoll’s code breaking efforts were pivotal to helping troops win the Battle of Midway.
Community members have been eager to meet the new addition to library lore since Hilda retired in 2023. “My son is so excited. He’s been closely monitoring the egg situation since the beginning. He made a write in vote to name the dragon Sparks though because that’s the name he wanted. 🤣,” says Megan on Instagram.
While watching the installation with her three kids, a mom said, “Oh my goodness, do you see the dragon? Is that what hatched from the egg? We’ve been rubbing that egg for a year!” She then shared that she always feels pressure to do something fun on Fridays and that they often end up at the library because “This is our place. We’re comfortable here and there’s always something to do.”
According to Curtis Smith (Maker Space and Laboratory Operations Manager at Otterbein University). Agnes was built using durable and long-lasting materials like fiberglass resin, fiberglass cloth, epoxy, wood, and aluminum. Many of the elements were decorated using spray paint. The mechanics that help the dragon roar were originally built for haunted houses like Fear Columbus. These include elements like motion sensors, so new functionalities can be added over time.
“It looks like a stealth plane,” said Gary Gardiner, local photographer. “Or a gem or geode!” shared Holly M, Outreach Associate for the Westerville Public Library. Less than a month old, Agnes’ aluminum teeth and scales will help protect her from predators.
Students who helped work on the project represent a wide range of majors, including art, engineering, graphic design, zoology, and psychology. Smith says that he values having multiple skillsets on the team. For instance, a student majoring in psychology might be a “creative people person”. Creative skills combined with strong communication skills are an asset when working with the public to help them navigate the process of bringing an imagined creation to life.
One student, Max, took the lead on the computer-generated CAD design that was used to determine the base structure of the dragon. When asked how many hours went into the creation of the dragon, Curtis Smith said, “I don’t even know if I could put a number on that, but with up to 10 students often working on it at one time, I’d guess between 200-500 hours at least.”
"We worked on this all the time," shared another student. "My favorite part was bringing the two halves [of the head] together. That's when it finally felt real. It was really exciting."
With digital art continuing to gain popularity, Smith still values teaching 2D drawing and hands-on experimentation. “You might be meeting a client at a coffee shop. You have printed designs in hand, but if your client isn’t sold on your vision, you have to be able to pivot and draw a pencil sketch right there. Being able to get closer to what that person perceives - then polishing it up later on the computer - will help you build trust and confidence in your abilities.”
Smith said one of the key lessons the students learn is the law of physics. When building in 3D, “there are a lot of things that just don’t work, or we haven’t yet discovered a way to make them work”. Other limitations like time, money, and available tools help students flex their creative thinking and problem-solving skills to find solutions. But their biggest challenge while working on the project, says Smith, was trying to set aside the time while the shop was under construction.
Building a dragon is a novel experience for many of the students. As sophomores, they are new to Westerville and didn’t have a chance to meet Hilda the Dragon during her reign. Smith says the students have seen pictures and heard about Hilda from friends who have been around for longer, but the impact of their work hasn’t quite set in yet. He’s hoping they’ll feel a sense of pride and connection to the community once they see their hard work on display in such a publicly visible location.
Erin Francoeur emphasized the importance of the dragon as a way to introduce people to the magic of their local library. “I want people to see the library as a place of wonder where ideas are born.”
The dragon was made possible by the generosity of Julian & Grube, the Law Office of Gene Hollins, Nichols & Company CPAs, and those who generously donated to Hilda’s baby shower.
Learn more about Agnes the Dragon @ https://westervillelibrary.org/dragon2024
Learn more about the Wizards & Wands Festival @ https://westervillelibrary.org/wizards
Last updated: 10/4/2024
