We are open for artists.
We are open for poets.
We are open for zinesters.
We are open for readers. 

#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.

Not only that, there is usually local art on display, zinesters meeting and collaborating on the first floor, and sometimes special drop-in activities going on in the Teen Room. 

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 Activities

#Zinester Meetup

Make, trade, read, and discuss zines with local zinesters and comic makers at our monthly Zinester Meetup in the "Zine Zone" from 6 - 8:30 p.m. (across from the first-floor gallery).

This month, make your own assorted “box of chocolates” mini-zines for your Valentine’s sweetheart with our friend, Emily, from the Duval Comics and Zines (DCAZ) group. Supplies and prompt ideas will be provided!

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 about the Library's Zine Collection, visit jaxlibrary.org/zines.

#Tabletop Players Welcome

Are you interested in TTRPGs (tabletop roleplaying games)?

Join us for a Dungeons & Dragons one-shot adventure for adults from 6 - 8:30 p.m. every Art Walk. No experience is required. Just bring your creativity! The group meets on the first floor (near the Zine Zone). 

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#Local Art Exhibits

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The 2024 Northeast Florida Scholastic Art Awards (NEFSAA) Gold Key Exhibition doesn't officially open until Saturday, February 17. But we're treating Art Walk attendees to an early preview (on the first floor) on Wednesday, February 7.

When the full exhibit is open the following week, there will be hundreds of pieces of award-winning student art on display - so much so that you'll have to visit the first three floors and the Teen Room to see it all! But don't worry, the show runs until March 10 if you need a little extra time.

#Celebrating Creative Teens & Award-Winning Art

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.

The 2024 NEFSAA season collected and adjudicated 3,476 student submissions from 1,663 students in eight counties including Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, St. Johns, Union and Volusia.

#Gold Key Winners

This year 1,583 awards were distributed to 819 student winners including 280 Gold, 463 Silver, and 677 Honorable Mentions. In the last six years, regional award winners have earned $33 million in college scholarship offers from Savannah College of Art & Design, Jacksonville University, and the University of North Florida. Gold Key winners at the regional level automatically go on to the national competition. 

This month's gallery exhibit is part of an ongoing partnership with Duval County Public Schools and their Fine Arts Department. In the coming months, Jacksonville Public Library will also host The Best of Elementary Art Show and The Best of Middle Art Exhibition.

We also work with local artists' groups. If you are interested in exhibiting your artwork at one of our libraries and you're already a member of The Art Center Cooperative, Inc. or Jacksonville Artists' Guild, please speak with your respective group about upcoming shows. You can also Request to Exhibit on your own. For more information, check out our Exhibit Policy or ask to speak with the manager at the library location that you're interested in working with.