Every year, seniors are given one final opportunity to leave a lasting impact on the school by entering the Groton School Library bookplate contest. Members of the graduating class enter by submitting an original design for a bookplate, serving as a tribute to their time at Groton and as a way to express their love for the beloved school library. For the first time in contest history, Library Director Mark Melchior and Art Instructor Jennifer Ho selected two winning artists from the Form of 2024, Marlene Ma and Zimo Liu. When asked about this unusual decision, Mr. Melchior said, “When you are presented with two outstanding designs that capture so beautifully this library’s place in the community, how do you decide between them?” Zimo and Marlene’s distinctive artistic skill sets are highlighted in their respective bookplates, with Zimo demonstrating his strength as a conceptual artist, and Marlene showcasing her strong talent for drawing. 

Zimo found that it was challenging to face an empty white page, but took inspiration from an old Chinese proverb: “书中自有黄金屋；书中自有颜如玉,” which loosely translates to “Every saying can be found within a book.” Centering his design process around this quote, Zimo allowed his mind to wander, incorporating trees, stars, the sun, and birds into his design. Over a month, Zimo worked on his bookplate step by step, saying, “With art, you have to let it sink in and have a different perspective each time you look at it.” One of his biggest takeaways from this experience was how to create art without the use of color. “I had to use figures to demonstrate the language and my voice, and play around with shadows,” says Zimo. “I learned how to deal better when not using color in design, and connecting it to the library . . . I did many things there in the past three years and found myself in a different world.” 

On the other hand, Marlene decided to encapsulate her attachment to the library through a drawing inspired by her love of spring. Decorated by an elaborate floral border, her bookplate depicts an idyllic scene of two people reading on the Circle, with Groton’s distinct Schoolhouse in the background. When prompted about what the library means to her, Marlene responded, “I spent a lot of time there because it’s one of the prime hotspots for seniors, and being surrounded by books really encourages you to study.” Despite her artistic expertise, Marlene was met with obstacles during her process. She described her struggle with proportions when drawing people and the difficulties of trying to fit two people into her design. Nevertheless, Marlene was able to complete her design within two weeks, and she was chosen as a winner by Mr. Melchior and Ms. Ho shortly after. Zimo and Marlene’s bookplates represent their lasting impact on Groton School as they say their goodbyes to the Circle.

When questioned why he chose to enter the competition, Zimo replied, “I’ve always been interested in leaving a bit of a legacy behind, and as an art prefect, I thought: why not give it a shot?” Both of the 2024 winning prints will be framed for display in the Schoolhouse and featured on the inner cover of every new book purchased by the school library for the next school year. The artworks also contain the artists’ graduation year (2024) and initials—MM and ZL—hidden within their respective designs for future Grotonians to find as they wonder if they too will someday leave their lasting mark on the Circle in this unique way.