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Posted August 12, 2005.

Artist Returns to Livermore Library for a Spell

The Miami artist who whose mosaic for the Livermore (Calif.) Public Library was riddled with spelling errors came back to the library to correct her mistakes. Maria Alquilar originally refused to return to Livermore, claiming she was being treated as a “sacrificial goat,” but she agreed to make the corrections after the city council agreed to pay her $6,000 plus travel expenses, the San Francisco Chronicle reported August 9.

Eleven of the 175 historical names and cultural words on the circular mosaic were misspelled, including “Eistein,” “Shakespere,” and “Van Gough.” The mistakes went undetected until the mosaic was unveiled at the library’s opening in May 2004.

As she worked on the corrections, a stream of onlookers watched a testy Alquilar, who threatened to throw a rock at a newspaper photographer. “No pictures of me!” she shouted. “If I’m in it, I’m going to sue you.”

Assistant City Manager Jim Piper said officials had spell-checked Alquilar’s replacement tiles. “We certainly believe they are spelled correctly,” he said.

Posted August 12, 2005.