Art Altars

Two art altars reside in the centerpoint between the Shepherd and BridgeHouse, dedicated to showcasing art installations and other community programs.

About the Art Altars

With the rotating nature of the dedicated spaces, the altars will work in tandem with Library Street Collective’s programming and independently to foster dynamic and continuous dialog amongst the community.

One of the art altars features Self-Portrait of Hieronymus Bosch in the Garden of Earthly Delights by Detroit-based artist Scott Hocking. Created while working in-residence at Stanton Yards, Hocking constructed this sculpture entirely from steel sailboat stands and maritime artifacts salvaged onsite in 2025. Inspired by The Sea and the Sky, and You and I exhibition at the Shepherd, Hocking explored ideas of history and duality—the sky and sea, landscapes and skyscapes, life and death, the earth and heavens, and the reflections and interplay between the two—to develop this drawing in space and his new Water Works series.

The second art altar is Angle of Repose, a collaboration between Castor Design and artist Olivia Guterson. Inspired by the concept of the steepest angle at which materials find equilibrium and the invitation to rest this installation encourages and celebrates connection. The gentle slope of each structure and the overall configuration of the earthen mounds offer an environment for visitors to feel grounded and supported as they sit and rest.

Up Next: Little Village Library

Asmaa Walton, curator and founder of Black Art Library, has curated the new Little Village Library, a public archive in one of the Shepherd's transepts dedicated to artists of color.