# 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!
# 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 Pacjic 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.
Interested in being a volunteer art docent? Apply to Volunteer at the Library.
# Calling All 80s and 90s Kids
What does a pencil and an audio cassette have in common? If you know you know... but you're definitely also going to want to check out the Memory Lab at Main Library! There have been a few upgrades to the space lately, thanks to funding from a Mellon grant.
In addition to some new equipment, there are even more do-it-yourself digitization stations open to library cardholders for scanning old photos, transferring home movies on VHS or film to digital, and converting old audio. You could totally recapture your youth... or at least your old mix tapes!
A "Wayback Wednesday" Open House
Learn more about the Memory Lab and the recent upgrades and additions at our "Wayback Wednesday" Open House from 6-8:30 p.m. (during Art Walk). Special Collections staff will be available to demonstrate equipment and answer any questions you may have about our digitization services, African American History Collection, Florida Collection, Genealogy Collection and so much more.
If you can't make it during Art Walk, you can stop by any time the Main Library is open for a demo! The Memory Lab is located on the fourth floor of the Main Library in Special Collections (next to the Ansbacher Map Room). The service is 100% free with your library card.
Have photos or movies to transfer to digital formats? If you want to make sure a specific station or piece of equipment is available for you when you arrive, you can reserve a station, Monday through Saturday, at jaxlibrary.org/memory or by calling (904) 255-BOOK.
# 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).
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.
Drop-In Board Games
Relax at the Main Library with board games! Come join us the first Wednesday of every month from 6-8 p.m. (during Art Walk) and enjoy a selection of our tabletop games and meet other gamers. The group meets on the first floor (near the Zine Zone) and is open to adults. Note: Participation from beginning to end is not required and players can join/leave at any time.
This month, we're playing Coup, Dominion, Horrified, Sushi Go Party, and Tyrants of the Underdark.
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# Art Exhibits
Best of Middle School Art Exhibit
Add "supporting young artists" to your list of reasons for stopping by the Main Library this Art Walk!
Jacksonville Public Library and Duval County Public Schools present the Best of Middle School Art Exhibit, on display in the Main Library's first-floor gallery. It includes a juried selection of original student artwork from DCPS students in grades 6-8 from twelve local schools. There are also dozens of pieces being displayed digitally on screens near the entrance to the Teen Room.
Student artists represented in this exhibit received either a Work of Excellence, Work of Merit or Work of Honorable Mention certificate.
The annual Best of Middle School Art Exhibit runs from April 17 through May 14. This exhibit is part of an ongoing partnership with Duval County Public Schools and their Fine Arts Department.
The Kingdom of Flowers Solo Art Show
In the second and third-floor galleries, enjoy the "untraditional" finger paintings of Valentina Nedelcheva, a member of the Art Center Cooperative and the Jacksonville Artists Guild. All of her work is done without brushes - directly on the canvas - and without preliminary sketches. For Valentina, painting is a purification, love, and joy.
Stop by for the Fine Art Reception from 6 - 8 p.m. on the second floor.
Valentina Nedelcheva is a member of the Art Center Cooperative and a member of the Jacksonville Artists Guild. She was born and raised in Bulgaria and studied at Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts. To see more of Valentina's work visit her website: Nedelcheva-Art.com.
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.
