Entering the Redmond Public Library is an invitation to connect with the community. There, sculptor John Grade found a space for an art installation surrounded by volumes of books. His new work has an organic subject and is at the center of an intellectual landscape to provoke thought and inspire visitors to grow.
Commissioned by the Deschutes Public Library, “SAGE” is a large-scale sculpture suspended from the ceiling of the renovated Redmond branch, which reopened in January 2025. Inspired by the structure within a stem of high desert sagebrush, “SAGE” mimics a horizontal cross section of the plant’s growth rings and shows the intricate biological geometry that draw water and nutrients from deep within the high desert’s soil. Similar to a cell network, each segment of the art piece was created individually. Walking up the staircase in the library space, a visitor is meant to feel part of an interconnected root system. Then, from a walkway above the art, a viewer will see more additional nuances from Grade: an undulating reference to Central Oregon’s topography.
Where to Find John Grade’s Work
While based in Seattle, Grade’s work is found both across the country and the world. The award-winning artist has pieces at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Kew Gardens in London, Arte Sella sculpture garden in Italy, the Seattle Art Museum and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Working from his studio with a team of artists, designers and structural engineers, he creates works in collaboration with others, much in the way he approaches the imagining of each piece: in its relationship to the ecosystem.
“John’s connection to and deep sense of place was critical for us,” said Chantal Strobel, a member of the library’s art committee and assistant director of Deschutes Public Library. ”John’s immediate and holistic sense of Central Oregon was exciting to witness. He quickly embraced the polarity of our landscape and set out to discover it.”
Grade had previous experience in Central Oregon, having spent 15 years exploring the region. He was drawn to the Badlands in particular and what he referred to as “the humble sagebrush.”
“The sculpture started by asking how it participates in the landscape,” Grade explained, adding that a journal he read informally called the sagebrush a community builder. “With its deep root system, it takes in more water than it can use itself, and it disperses it to the plants around it and smaller plants that live in its shadow. I thought it was a beautiful metaphor for what a library could be.”
Creation of a Centerpiece
The first step in designing the sculpture was finding a dead sagebrush and cutting a cross-section of its stem. “The growth rings are similar to a tree, but much more dynamic,” Grade said. The formal qualities of a one-inch cross-section were magnified to almost 30 feet across and used as inspiration. The building of the large-scale work was what Grade calls a “feat of structural engineering.” The ceiling wouldn’t support a monolithic object and had to follow seismic-safety parameters, so the 1,000-pound work had to be hollow. What appears to be a singular piece is actually a 10-section exoskeleton, with thousands of small holes that Grade said refer to the cell structure of the plant. It was created by his team in Grade’s Seattle studio before being installed at the Redmond Public Library. Standing beneath the artwork—positioned under a skylight—gives the viewer a feeling of seeing through a stem.
“On multiple visits, you may discover something new,” Grade said. “Similar to a library and how it functions for a cross section of people, the sculpture is a way to interact with the building.”
More John Grade Art for Libraries
Next, Grade will install the work “JUNIPER” at the Central Library at Stevens Ranch, opening in 2026. This piece was inspired by contrast: the expansion of the high desert’s ubiquitous and quick-growing western juniper compared to the contraction of the glacier at South Sister. “I liked the idea of taking two difficult things going on in the landscape, thinking of how we frame them, and bringing them together.” Referring to his sculpture as “cultural manifestation,” Grade often includes groups of people in the creation of his art and hopes “JUNIPER” will include a hands-on program in conjunction with the library related to its themes. “It will have a long legacy for visitors, not just today but into the future, because that’s what the library is trying to do: create community.”
Learn more about John Grade or visit the Deschutes Public Library.
