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Buchanan District Library to dedicate new Art on Days artwork on Saturday, October 3 at 10am

BUCHANAN, Michigan —The Buchanan District Library, along with a dedicated group of volunteers, has been hard at work behind the scenes for more than a year to bring to life the next installment of the Art on Days public art project, and on Saturday, October 3, the public will be able to see the new art and meet the artist.

“We are so glad to be able to continue this project, and we think people are really going to enjoy this new art,” said Meg Paulette Perez, Library Director.

Art on Days is a rotating public art display on the Days Avenue façade of the Buchanan District Library building. The project began in 2024 in partnership with LiveBuchanan, and with funding from the Michigan Gateway Community Foundation and the Berrien Community Foundation. Since that time, it has featured artwork from Alex Ann Allen, prominent South Bend-based muralist, and Justin Johnson, an artist and citizen of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi.

The new artwork is titled, “A Buchanan Sketchbook,” and was created by local artist and architect, Charlie Hasbrouck. Charlie practiced architecture in Chicago and around the world for more than 43 years before retiring in 2026. He managed projects ranging from large-scale mixed-use high-rises and master plans for new cities to sensitive restorations and adaptive reuse of existing buildings. An avid sketcher, Charlie believes drawing helps us see our surroundings more clearly and in new ways. For the past several years, he has aimed to sketch every day. He now divides his time between Chicago and Buchanan, with occasional sketching trips abroad.

The artwork features scenes from around Buchanan, all drawn by Charlie between August 2024 and July 2026. Events such as the Memorial Day parade, local landmarks like Pear’s Mill, and buildings from around the historic districts are among the subjects.

“Charlie has been a joy to work with,” said Paulette. “He has made this a truly collaborative process, working closely with our volunteer committee from the start.”

Tragically, a key member of the Art on Days committee, Tracy Dippo, passed away last month. Tracy was instrumental in this project for each of the three installments, and especially this year.

“It was Tracy’s idea to put the sketches together in one cohesive sketchbook design,” said Paulette. “Until she proposed this idea, we were struggling a bit to figure out how to display Charlie’s work in this large-scale format. Tracy really brought it all together this year.”

An event to dedicate the new artwork will be held outside the Buchanan District Library at 10am on Saturday, October 3. After short remarks from the project organizers and the artist, visitors will be welcome to visit with the artist and enjoy other activities throughout the day at Buchanan’s “Harvest Festival.”