Mei Matsui wins fifth annual McCormick Library Bookplate Contest

Congratulations to Mei Matsui on her winning design in the fifth annual McCormick Library Bookplate Contest. 

Mei created the bookplate under the supervision of art teacher and printmaker, Jennifer Ho. 

In speaking of Mei’s bookplate, Ms. Ho said, “Mei’s design is truly out of the box, capturing elements such as our school mascot—the zebra—against Groton's magical, starry, night sky. There is a sense of quietness to Mei's design—reflective of long, studious nights as one strolls back to their dorm for check-in and gazes up and out at the world beyond us all. The design suggests that the Groton experience goes beyond the Circle through inquiry and curiosity, where one might find themselves.”

Mark Melchior, the library director, amplified Ms. Ho's praise in saying, “Mei incorporates all the elements of good bookplate design into this small frame, and gives the school mascot pride of place, a first in the bookplates we’ve featured. Look closely and you will see Mei’s initials in the constellation of start at top left. Truly a stellar design!” 

Mr. Melchior added, “The library is grateful to all the students who submitted designs, and to Ms. Ho, who continues to inspire such great work from her student-artists.”

Each year, the library invites Sixth Form artists to submit a design for consideration in the search for a bookplate to be used in our new book purchases for the coming school year. Many public and private library collections feature a bookplate in the endpapers of each book in their collections as a means of identifying ownership and also as an artistic statement about the collection or its owner.