#Step Into the Creative Vibe
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!
#We Are Open for Art Tours
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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
An Extra Special 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.
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! The tournament starts at 5 p.m. and runs until someone claims victory (or 7 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
Relentless Courage: Ukraine and the World at War
From the frontlines of the war in Ukraine, this compelling collection of images from world-class photographers captures the humanity, perseverance, and determination of Ukraine’s fight for freedom and independence against all odds. The exhibition includes the work of five award-winning women photojournalists who are also featured in the photographic essay book of the same name. Published by Blue Star Press, sales of the book help support the work of combat photojournalists in Ukraine.
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, 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 paintings from teachers of the students.
Quiet Reflections
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 show a fascination with light and color, depicting nature’s beauty, wildlife, pets, and people, especially his grandkids.