BTR Redesigns Renovated Library With Help From JXTA Youth Arts Organization

A popular spot for local youth in a community with a lack of such free and safe activity space, the Hennepin County North Regional Library was ready for an overhaul. Juxtaposition Arts (JXTA), a north side youth arts organization, collaborated with the design team in a public engagement campaign that included surveys, model-building and pop-ups around the neighborhood. The rejuvenated library includes a new teen lab which houses Teen Tech Squad activities after school and on weekends, and spaces for early literacy interactive toys for little siblings. Additional meeting and study rooms were added, accessibility was improved, and collections were realigned for co-location alongside the services and programs for each. On the design side, the JXTA creative team of youth apprentices and teaching artists designed custom patterns for wall covering, window film, patterned concrete in the breezeway plaza, decorative fences and bike racks, and sound-absorption panels for the reading hall.