By Carolyn Bell, Ashland Library Trustee

Saturday afternoon at the Ashland Public Library, the Friends and Trustees honored Lawrence De Jong for his contributions to the library's cultural life and, thus, to the town. When invited to choose a piece of art to commemorate his thousands of hours of volunteer work over twenty years, he selected a painting by local artist Louis Risoli. Louis, who grew up in Ashland, studied at Tufts University, with a junior year abroad in Hong Kong. After three decades in Boston, he returned and now paints the woods in town where he walks on an almost daily basis.

Lawrence De Jong taught art at Ashland High School for many years and is an artist. When the library was finally renovated and opened in 2005, he started the library's exhibition program and brought many local artists, some nationally known, to the library in monthly shows. He held annual exhibitions of Ashland seniors' and high school students' art. He aided the donor committee in the library's collection of local art and has archived the library's art resources.  

Louis Risoli's paintings are in the collections of The Rose Art Museum, the DeCordova Museum, and many corporate and private collections. He has exhibited for many years at Gallery NAGA in Boston, where he will have a show this coming June and July.

Trustee Carolyn Bell paid tribute not only to Larry and Louis, but to the many volunteers over the years who early on supported the library with bake and book sales on the front lawn and then pushed to bring the library that was underfunded and neglected to a renovated, modern library with its own collection of fine local artists and one that provides in-house programs and virtual programs.