#Enjoy the Creative and Holiday Vibes
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! This month, join us after the tree lighting ceremony and check out local art in the first and third floor galleries, join the zinesters meeting and collaborating in the Zine Zone, or sign up for a 20-minute 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!
Having recently celebrated 20 years, Art Walk has been a long-standing monthly event which has attracted over half a million visitors to Downtown Jacksonville. Proudly hosted by Downtown Vision, it's a great way to explore Downtown's Northbank with family, friends and coworkers.
#The Holiday Lounge and Snyder Memorial
The fun begins at 5 p.m. at James Weldon Johnson Park. Don't miss the City of Jacksonville's annual Tree Lighting Ceremony next to the skyway at 6 p.m. The City has also hinted at some surprise guests! We wonder who they could be?!
It's all part of a very special program lineup called the "Holiday Lounge." Hosted by Rance Adams, it will feature performances by Scott Jones School of Dance, the Community Nutcracker, Cap Kids (Cathedral Arts Project), SK8hers Inc. and more!
Speaking of special guests, Santa and Mrs. Claus will be greeting guests inside Snyder Memorial Church (corner of N. Laura and Monroe streets). Get a photo with the jolly couple and listen to some great music while you wait! Taryn "Love Reigns" Wharwood will host musical guest Ace Winn! It's a great opportunity to check out the historic space, which is activated each month for the event.
#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 Pajcic 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.
#Drop-In Activities
Zinester Meetup: Discussing Photo Zines and Vision Boards for 2025
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.
This month, the group welcomes photographer Felicia Bass and her new photo-zine. She'll talk about how the creative strategy of zine making factors into her work. Members of the group will also be creating vision boards for 2025 in collage. There will be extra supplies on hand if you'd like to create your own (please feel free to bring your own supplies, too).
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.
Smash Bros. Tournament for Teens
Stop by the Teen Room (on the first floor) for a Super Smash Bros. Tournament for teens (ages 12-18) on the big screen TV! Tournament starts at 5 p.m. and runs until someone claims victory (or 8:30 p.m.).
Play Board Games with Adults
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. Note: Participation from beginning to end is not required and players can join/leave at any time.
#Art Exhibits
Duval Art Downtown: Teacher's Edition
For 101 years, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have supported the future of creativity by offering millions of students in grades 7-12 the opportunity for recognition, exhibition, publication and scholarships. For the past 15 years, the Northeast Florida Scholastic Art Awards (NEFSAA) has been the regional visual art affiliate for the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards -- offering recognition, celebration of, and college scholarship offers for visual art students in our area.
This exhibition consists of art work from the teachers of these students. Find it in the Gallery at Main on the 1st floor, next to the Teen Room.
Quiet Reflections with Art by Ted Head
Ted Head's work has been published in American Artist magazine, SPLASH 11 and SPLASH 16, the Best of America Watercolor Artists & Artisians. He has also won over 85 awards, including dozens of “Best of” and 1st place awards for his oils and watercolors, and has become a popular workshop instructor and show judge. Ted believes that when his brush dances between imagination and reality, something magical can happen. When it does, the emotional connection between him and his subject says it all. Design, values and color are the means to express a moment in time, captured in dramatic watercolor or oils. An avid kayaker, his paintings also show a fascination with light and color, depicting nature’s beauty, wildlife, pets, and people, especially his grandkids.
The exhibit runs October 29 through December 6. Find it in the gallery on the 3rd floor (in the atrium). Presented by The Art Center Cooperative and the Jacksonville Artists Guild.
