#We Are Open for Art Walk
Celebrate our community's deep pool of creative talent with us on the first Wednesday of each month in Downtown Jacksonville! The Main Library stays open until 9 p.m. for the festivities! We are conveniently located directly across from James Weldon Johnson Park, one of Art Walk's two major hubs of activity. This month, check out local art in the gallery, join the zinesters meeting and collaborating in the Zine Zone, or sign up for an art tour.
Don't forget to pick up a Map & Guide to the Main Library on your way in! You'll find public art, a huge vintage map collection and more!
#Drop-In Summer Closing Party
Drop in and celebrate the end of summer learning and fun with drop-in activities and special guests in the Children's Room from 3-4 p.m. Kids in attendance will receive their final free summer prize book (while supplies last)! The celebration includes a visit from Tree Hill Nature Center and Ruby the Corn Snake. You can also meet and greet our new therapy dog, George. George plans to visit the library twice a month and he loves for kids to practice their reading with him.
Teens (ages 12-18) are encouraged to stop by the Teen Room from 5-7 p.m. (during Art Walk) for a teens-only celebration (families welcome). Teens in attendance will receive their final free summer prize book (while supplies last).
#We Are Open for Art Tours
Docent-Led Art Tours Start at 6 PM
Augusta Savage, Al Held, Kathryn Freeman, Lee Adams, Jerry Uelsmann. Do you know that works by these artists and many more are on permanent display at the Main Library? Come take a 20-minute docent-led tour during Art Walk and (re)discover these remarkable paintings, sculptures, and photographs. Tours start every half hour starting at 6 p.m. Meet the docent by the Art Tours sign in the Pacjic Promenade (the entry/hallway on the first floor).
Registration is strongly recommended. The last tour starts at 8 p.m.
Note: In addition to the permanent works, we also have exhibits that rotate regularly in our galleries on the first, second, and third floors, featuring works by local students and professional artists.
Looking for something more in-depth? Take a longer, 45-minute tour on Saturday, August 17, at 10:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. Interested in being a volunteer art docent? Apply to volunteer at the Library.
#Drop-In Activities
Zinester & Comix Makers Meetup
Do you read zines? Make your own comics? Want to take a truly DIY approach to self-publishing? Drop by the Main Library every first Wednesday of the month (during Art Walk) from 6 - 8:30 p.m. where local zinesters meet to network, learn skills, do group projects, and make art! They meet in the "Zine Zone" across from the first-floor gallery.
If you haven't already, this is also a good time to browse the Zine Collection (they are available for checkout!). If you have a zine or self-published comic to donate to the Library, bring it with you! For more info, visit jaxlibrary.org/zines.
Meet Other Tabletop Board Gamers
Looking for other adults to play board games with? Join us from 6-8 p.m. in the "engagement" space on the first floor. Just look for the big red carpet between the Gallery and the Zine Zone.
We're playing Deception: Murder in Hong Kong. In this social deduction game, you and your friends are crime scene investigators who must discover the evidence and the means of a gruesome murder. However, one of your fellow investigators will secretly be the murderer and it will be your job to discover the imposter before they strike again!
Note: Participation from beginning to end is not required and players can join/leave at any time.
#
#Current Exhibits
Pack Your Bags - Main Gallery (1st Floor)
Are you inspired by travel? Good food? Do you have a favorite vacation spot or retreat that's maybe off the beaten path? Well, pack your bags now because we've got a new art exhibit perfect for the globe trotters and armchair travelers alike...Check out the amazing work of 27 local artists from the Art Center Cooperative and Jacksonville Artists Guild on display in the main gallery on the first floor.
Join us for a light reception with the artists from 6-8 p.m. The exhibition runs through October 28. Check the passports hanging beside each piece for information about the art and artist.
Ink Discovery by Annelies Dykgraaf - Solo Exhibition (2nd & 3rd Floor)
Annelies Dykgraaf was born in Nigeria - Jos, Plateau State, to missionary parents. She's lived in Jacksonville since 2001. She's served on the Beaches Fine Arts Series Board for 12 years as its Visual Arts Coordinator. She was also a founding member of the Jacksonville Cultural Development Corporation and founding member and past president of the Art Center Cooperative, Jacksonville, FL. Her art mainly depicts people - the vast and unique personalities and relationships; and also tells stories of her childhood and the uniting of races/cultures.
Often incorporated into her reliefs are drawing motifs from the tradition of wood carvings, textile patterns, uli motifs, and symbols from various West African tribal folk tales/myths.
Her solo art exhibition runs through October 8 with a reception on October 7 from 6-8 p.m. (during October's Art Walk). You can also preview this exhibit online.
