Games in the Attic: Sterling bookstacks inspire a student’s art—and evolution

When Ella White ’27 moved from her hometown of Los Angeles to New Haven for her first semester at Yale, she struggled with the transition. Exploring campus, she soon gravitated to the book-lined labyrinth of Sterling Memorial Library’s central book tower. The Sterling stacks, as the tower is commonly known, became a place for refuge and reflection—and an inspiration for her first art collection, a series of silkscreen prints titled “Bodies in White.” 

For White, who is studying mechanical engineering at Yale, the stacks are more than just a place to study and write papers. “I would go there to browse the shelves and just hang out,” she said. “I liked seeing what was there on each level. Sometimes I would just look out the window. It’s a place to chill. You never know what you are going to find around the next corner.” 

White is a multimedia artist whose work is inspired by “automotive culture and componentry.” At home in L.A. her favorite places are a Porsche junkyard and the autobody shops where she learned to work on classic cars. The phrase “body in white” refers to a stage in automotive manufacturing—after the car’s frame is assembled but before the paint, engine, chassis, and trim are added.  

Library as inspiration

Sterling Library, completed in 1931, was designed by architect James Gamble Rogers, B.A.1889, to resemble a Gothic cathedral. The 150-foot, seven-story book tower embodied the most advanced construction techniques and library technology of the day. Innovations included a massive framework of welded steel, a pneumatic-tube message system snaking through the stacks, and an estimated 80 miles of metal shelving that helps support the weight of the building.  

Today, the pneumatic tubes are gone, the dumbwaiter-style book lifts are no longer used, and the paint scheme is beige-and-brown drab. Yet, the shelves still hold a world of knowledge between the covers of more than 3 million volumes. Some of the shadowy aisles end unexpectedly in study niches with views of New Haven through arched and diamond-paned windows. For White, even the occasional graffiti on the walls and desks is “part of the adventure” of the stacks. “You never know who has sat at that table before,” she said. “It tells the story of the Yale community.”  

In April, White added a chapter to the library’s story when she installed her artworks in the stacks for several days and invited guests to participate in an interactive viewing experience she called “Games in the Attic.” Visitors followed maps to find flags wedged among the bookshelves on Level 3 of the stacks. The flags in turn pointed the way via winding stairs (or elevator) up to the Level 3 mezzanine, where White’s four sets of silkscreen-on-canvas-and-paper prints—some in handstitched fabric frames—were mounted in alcove and aisle displays.  

Each display carried titles referencing aspects of automotive engineering: “Rotors Study: 1” (inspired by the rotors from a Mazda RX-7), “Widowmaker” (inspired by a K27 turbocharger from the Porsche 930 Turbo), “Wonderland (Extended, Remastered)” (inspired by the Mazda 787b), and “Quarter Mile” (inspired by pistons from a Porsche 930). 

During the installation, White enjoyed watching her guests wind their way through the stacks to discover her artwork. “It was an opportunity for my friends to learn about me, and for me to learn about them through their reaction to my work,” she said. “A lot of them didn’t know I was into art, and they didn’t know what to expect.” 

Works in progress 

As Sterling Library approaches its centennial, Yale Library leaders have launched Sterling 2031, a top-to-bottom review of Sterling Library’s spaces to ensure that the library will continue to support changing modes of teaching, learning, and research into its second century and beyond. Informed by extensive user research with students and others, a master planning process is underway.  

“The original layout of the building reflected the needs of its era,” said Barbara Rockenbach, the Stephen F. Gates ’68 University Librarian. “It was purpose-built for fulfilling central “call slips,” cloistered special collections, and solitary study spaces. There was very little space for the kinds of interactions, teaching, and collaboration that we look for in a research library today.” 

As part of Sterling 2031, the stacks are likely to get a facelift of fresh paint, lighting, and signage, but, unlike some other parts of the building, their basic purpose won’t change. “The book shelving in the stacks was engineered as part of the structure,” Rockenbach said. “The stacks will always be used for books.” 

That’s welcome news for White. “The stacks are already so timeless,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to change too much.”  

With her first year of college –and her first art exhibition – now in the rearview mirror, White reflected on her own growth and change. “A huge part of my concept is that we are all works in progress,” she said. “I don’t think I will ever be at the point where I am driving off the assembly line, but I’m a lot more in tune with myself. I have some new paint and trim.”