The 4th Annual Book Paper Scissors Artists’ Book Fair will be held on Saturday, Dec. 4th from 10-4 at the Parkway Central Library. It's free and open to the public. This festive event features prints, artists’ books, handmade paper, zines, origami, blank books, paper sculpture, and jewelry. Free how-to workshops will be held in Room 108 at 11 am (single sheet folded book) and 1 pm (mini flag book).

Come and buy, or just be inspired! You will find many affordable and interesting gifts for everyone on your list (or yourself).

This event is co-sponsored by the Art Department and the Philadelphia Center for the Book.

Tags: Events at the Library, artists' books

From Mad Men to Mod Women: Fashion in the 1960s

2nd Floor, Art Hallway Gallery

September 15 – October 25, 2010

Inspired by the current television show Mad Men and the retro '60s fashions we are seeing today, the exhibition features 1960s Saturday Evening Post covers, images from the Library’s circulating picture collection, and magazine fashion spreads. This six-case exhibition is a brief survey of fashion in a decade that saw monumental changes in western culture–in music, fashion, and social roles. It touches on some of the highlights of fashion at the time.

The Art Department has many books on fashion – both circulating and reference copies. Fashion is classed in the call number 391. A section of circulating books on this subject can be found on your left as you walk into the Art Department. If you don’t find what interests you there, please ask one of the reference librarians for help, as there are a number of additional books in the closed reference section.

From September 20^th to October 15^th, a number of circulating books and DVDs on the subject of fashion will be on display on the back of the desk in the main lobby of Parkway Central.

Tags: Exhibitions, art, fashion

You may have heard about the 2010 World Expo that opened in Shanghai in May. Did you know that there was a world expo in Philadelphia in 1876? That exposition celebrated the centennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and the fairgrounds were in west Fairmount Park and stretched from Memorial Hall (built as the Art Gallery for the exposition) to where the Mann Music Center is today.

Recently, Chinese National Television's American Correspondent, Leon He, came up from Washington and interviewed Karen Lightner, Curator of the Print and Picture Collection, and filmed photographs from the Centennial Collection for the televised spot in May. He also interviewed David Groverman, the proprietor of the Centennial Cafe, which is housed in Ohio House, the only remaining state building in what was the state's section of the exposition. All of his background talk is in Chinese, but his interviews with Karen and David are in English and were sub-titled for broadcast. You can see the spot on YouTube below: 

Don't miss the third annual Book Paper Scissors Artists' Book Fair at the Parkway Central Library on Saturday, December 5, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.—it's free and open to the public! This festive event features prints, artists' books, handmade paper, zines, origami, blank books, paper sculpture, and jewelry for sale by more than 30 artists. If it's paper-based art, it's here! Come and buy, or just be inspired! You will find many affordable and interesting gifts for everyone on your holiday gift list, and a portion of the proceeds benefit the Free Library.

During the event, you can also learn to make a pochoir holiday card for a special someone with book artists Kay Healy and Greg Pizzoli. Pochoir, a French stenciling technique, was often used to color prints and books, especially in the early 1900s. Each participant will learn the technique and create their own handmade pochoir greeting. The kid-friendly (age 5 and up) workshops will be held at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. in the Story Hour Room in the Children's Department on the ground floor.

See you there!

Tags: Events at the Library, artists' books

The Parkway Central Library’s Print and Picture Collection is currently hosting a new exhibition of artists’ books, photographs, and prints acquired by purchase or gift in 2008 and 2009. On display through November 14, the exhibition mainly features work from local artists.

The Print and Picture Collection doesn’t have an endowment like some other special collections at the Free Library. For our acquisitions, we have relied on gifts from artists and collectors, a very small amount of mostly private Library funds, and money raised by the Friends of the Print and Picture Collection.

Because of the city budget crisis the past year, we bought very few photographs and fine prints in 2008 and 2009. We purchased a number of fairly inexpensive artists’ books, primarily at the Hybrid Book Fair at the University of the Arts in June, and some from individuals. We were also grateful to receive a very generous gift from Lilyan Maitin—24 prints by her late husband Sam, which served as a nice addition to the prints of his which were already in the collection. Several of the artists who participated in this year’s Robert Looney Memorial Event donated a print to the collection, as well. As it turns out, and as is our focus, most of our acquisitions are of work by local artists.

The Print and Picture Collection houses research collections of images of Philadelphia, as well as extensive fine art prints, photographs, and artists' books collections. A circulating picture collection of news photographs and pictures and illustrations clipped from books and magazines is also available to Library customers. The Print and Picture Collection is open weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information, call 215-686-5405.
 

Tags: Exhibitions