Library of Lost Gloves & Lost Loves

Placemaking, Public Art

/ 2022

Dozens of lost gloves arranged on a long fence for the public art installation Library of Lost Gloves and Lost Loves by Bruce Willen

Find a glove, leave a glove. Take a glove, leave a love.

Library of Lost Gloves & Lost Loves
2022
Found gloves, hang tags, signage
Location: Baltimore, MD

This participatory public art installation at Baltimore’s Druid Hill Park collected orphaned mittens from the gutters and snow banks of nearby neighborhoods, annotated with 1-line love stories/poems. People are invited to “Find a glove, leave a glove. Take a glove, leave a love.” The project was featured on NPR’s Weekend Edition, along with multiple local news outlets.

Dozens of found orphaned gloves and mittens displayed on a wrought iron fence in the Library of Lost Gloves & Lost Loves participatory public art installation by artist Bruce Willen

Dozens of found orphaned gloves and mittens displayed on a wrought iron fence in the Library of Lost Gloves & Lost Loves participatory public art installation by artist Bruce Willen

Library of Lost Gloves & Lost Loves sign

found gloves with notes displayed on a wrought iron fence in the Library of Lost Gloves & Lost Loves participatory public art installation by artist Bruce Willen

A found glove with a note displayed on a wrought iron fence in the Library of Lost Gloves & Lost Loves participatory public art installation by artist Bruce Willen

A found glove with a note displayed on a wrought iron fence in the Library of Lost Gloves & Lost Loves participatory public art installation by artist Bruce Willen

Dozens of found orphaned gloves and mittens displayed on a wrought iron fence in the Library of Lost Gloves & Lost Loves participatory public art installation by artist Bruce Willen

Dozens of found orphaned gloves and mittens displayed on a wrought iron fence in Druid Hill Park as part of the Library of Lost Gloves & Lost Loves participatory public art installation by artist Bruce Willen

People looking at dozens of found orphaned gloves and mittens displayed in a line on a wrought iron fence in the Library of Lost Gloves & Lost Loves participatory public art installation by artist Bruce Willen

Person looking at dozens of found orphaned gloves and mittens displayed in a line on a wrought iron fence in the Library of Lost Gloves & Lost Loves participatory public art installation by artist Bruce Willen

Lost gloves with notes collected by artist Bruce Willen as part of the Library of Lost Gloves & Lost Loves participatory public art installation

Lost gloves with notes collected by artist Bruce Willen as part of the Library of Lost Gloves & Lost Loves participatory public art installation

Lost gloves with notes collected by artist Bruce Willen as part of the Library of Lost Gloves & Lost Loves participatory public art installation

Lost gloves with notes collected by artist Bruce Willen as part of the Library of Lost Gloves & Lost Loves participatory public art installation

Hang-tags with one-line love stories

Dozens of found orphaned gloves and mittens displayed on a wrought iron fence in the Library of Lost Gloves & Lost Loves participatory public art installation by artist Bruce Willen

Collaborators: Sarah Templin, the people of Baltimore