# Find Your Community
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 a 20-minute art tour with one of our volunteer docents, contribute to a special edition of the Zinester Meetup Zine, or check out the rotating exhibits in the galleries on the first, second and third floors.
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!
# Free Art Tours
Docent-Led Art Tours Start at 6 PM
Did you know that works by Augusta Savage, Al Held, Kathryn Freeman, Lee Adams, Jerry Uelsmann and other artists 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 with other art lovers.
Tours start every half hour, beginning at 6 p.m. The last tour starts at 8 p.m. You'll meet your docent (a.k.a. tour guide) on the first floor, near the entrance to the Library. Look for the Art Tours sign.
Registration is strongly recommended.
Note: While these tours focus on the permanent works on display, 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. Please feel free to check those out after your tour.
Catch It Before It's Gone!
The Best of Middle School Art Exhibit ends Saturday, May 10. If you haven't already, be sure to visit the gallery on the first floor during Art Walk. This annual exhibit features a juried selection of original artwork from student artists in grades 6-8, representing 12 local middle schools. Student artists chosen for this exhibit received either a Work of Excellence, Work of Merit or Work of Honorable Mention certificate. An open house, celebrating and supporting the young artists, took place in April, shortly after the exhibit opened to the public.
This is part of an ongoing partnership with the Fine Arts Department of Duval County Public Schools.
Birds and Blossoms
Don't miss the galleries on the second and third floors! Originally set to end on May 5, this local art exhibit has been extended through Art Walk.
Peggy Harrell Jennings is an award-winning local artist, author, and illustrator who works in various media, including oil, watercolor, pastels, acrylic, photography, and mixed media. A Jacksonville native, she enjoys the beauty of nature through plein-air painting.
She exhibits with the Jacksonville Artists Guild, Orange Park Art Guild, the Art Center Cooperative, the Fine Arts Forum, and various other venues. She has written, illustrated, and published several children's books, novels, and historical articles/books and has been published nationally as well as monthly in The Resident Newspaper. An avid historian and arts educator, she enjoys sharing her knowledge through presentations and workshops.
This exhibit is brought to you through an ongoing partnership with The Art Center Cooperative and Jacksonville Artists' Guild.
# Drop-In Activities
Zinester Meetup
Do you read zines? Make your own comics? Want to take a truly DIY approach to self-publishing? Drop by Zine Zone on the first floor of the Main Library every first Wednesday of the month (during Art Walk) from 6 - 8:30 p.m. It's a space where "zinesters," writers, artists and more meet to network, learn new skills, do group projects, and make art!
This month, we're creating a special edition of the Zinester Meetup Zine (ZMZ) called "What's a Zine—and What Should You Do About It?" We will work together as a group to create a short zine that we can reprint and share far and wide in our community to welcome newcomers to the wonderful world of zines and DIY culture.
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 first floor gallery and the Zine Zone. Note: Participation from beginning to end is not required and players can join/leave at any time.
