Casey Hayward: Off the Wall
JAMAICA PLAIN, MA — The Jamaica Plain Branch Library, in partnership with the Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library, is pleased to announce Off the Wall, the final exhibition in its 2025 rotating art series featuring Stoneham, MA artist Casey Hayward.
Hayward combines photography, paint, and found materials—castoff wood, metal, and other remnants—to create layered works that celebrate the “beautiful ugly.” His pieces reveal unexpected beauty in weathered textures, rust, and decay, inviting viewers to consider the boundary between image and object.
Off the Wall is on view from November 6, 2025 – January 7, 2026, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, November 6, 2025, 5:30-7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday and Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.
JAMAICA PLAIN, MA — The Jamaica Plain Branch Library, in partnership with the Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library, is pleased to announce Off the Wall, the final exhibition in its 2025 rotating art series featuring Stoneham, MA artist Casey Hayward.
Hayward combines photography, paint, and found materials—castoff wood, metal, and other remnants—to create layered works that celebrate the “beautiful ugly.” His pieces reveal unexpected beauty in weathered textures, rust, and decay, inviting viewers to consider the boundary between image and object.
In Off the Wall, Hayward explores his twin passions for curiosity and language. Using onomatopoeic words as inspiration, he transforms their visual and sonic qualities into dimensional art. Found wood also serves as the foundation for his striking bird portraits—each one a study in inquisitiveness and creative discovery.
Off the Wall reminds viewers that curiosity and creativity are inseparable forces, continually shaping how we see and interpret the world.
Off the Wall is on view from November 6, 2025 – January 7, 2026, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, November 6, 2025, 5:30-7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday and Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.
Inquiries?
caseyhayward@gmail.com
This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library, a non-profit organization committed to planning and sponsoring free educational and cultural programs for all patrons of the JP Library.
Lizi Brown: Chance Meetings
JAMAICA PLAIN, MA — The Jamaica Plain Branch Library, in partnership with the Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library, is thrilled to announce the next exhibit in its 2025 rotating art program: Chance Meeting, a solo exhibition by Jamaica Plain resident, Lizi Brown.
Chance Meetings is a series of expressive ink paintings inspired by everyday life in Jamaica Plain. Drawing from quick pencil sketches made in cars, cafés, and on park benches, Brown transforms fleeting observations into layered works using stencils and ink. Her process highlights the subtle beauty in daily routines and the quiet complexity of human interaction.
Chance Meetings is on view from August 28 – November 5, 2025, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, August 28th, 2025, 5:30-7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday and Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.
JAMAICA PLAIN, MA — The Jamaica Plain Branch Library, in partnership with the Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library, is thrilled to announce the next exhibit in its 2025 rotating art program: Chance Meeting, a solo exhibition by Jamaica Plain resident, Lizi Brown.
Chance Meetings is a series of expressive ink paintings inspired by everyday life in Jamaica Plain. Drawing from quick pencil sketches made in cars, cafés, and on park benches, Brown transforms fleeting observations into layered works using stencils and ink. Her process highlights the subtle beauty in daily routines and the quiet complexity of human interaction.
“In these contentious times,” Brown says, “the shared street is a project we’re all engaged in.” Her work reflects on how we inhabit public space—how presence, like an accent or gesture, shapes perception and identity.
Working in ink mirrors this experience. “Materials rarely behave,” she explains. “Forms shift—awkward to elegant and back again—just like body language.”
Through these dynamic pieces, Chance Meetings explores how we see one another, how assumptions form, and how art can reveal the humor, tension, and connection within shared spaces. It’s a celebration of observation, movement, and community.
Chance Meetings is on view from August 28 – November 5, 2025, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, August 28th, 2025, 5:30-7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday and Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.
Inquiries?
lizibrown21@gmail.com
This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library, a non-profit organization committed to planning and sponsoring free educational and cultural programs for all patrons of the JP Library.
Joni Lohr: Inside Out
JAMAICA PLAIN, MA — The Jamaica Plain Branch Library, in partnership with the Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library, is thrilled to announce the next exhibit in its 2025 rotating art program: Inside Out, a solo exhibition by West Roxbury-based photographer Joni Lohr
Inside Out invites viewers to explore the haunting beauty of abandoned urban interiors as seen through the lens of Lohr’s camera. Her photographs reveal spaces left behind—buildings stripped to their studs or strewn with forgotten remnants of former lives—yet they resonate with a lingering spirit, an emotional imprint that echoes the lives of those who once occupied them.
JAMAICA PLAIN, MA — The Jamaica Plain Branch Library, in partnership with the Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library, is thrilled to announce the next exhibit in its 2025 rotating art program: Inside Out, a solo exhibition by West Roxbury-based photographer Joni Lohr
Inside Out invites viewers to explore the haunting beauty of abandoned urban interiors as seen through the lens of Lohr’s camera. Her photographs reveal spaces left behind—buildings stripped to their studs or strewn with forgotten remnants of former lives—yet they resonate with a lingering spirit, an emotional imprint that echoes the lives of those who once occupied them.
“My interest in urban architecture, particularly cities in transition, often draws me to the grittier parts of town,” says Lohr. “Stepping into an abandoned structure brings a sense of adventure tinged with melancholy. I am moved to bear witness to the untold stories of lives interrupted.”
Lohr’s unique perspective highlights the stark contrast between interior disarray and the serene vistas glimpsed through shattered windows and broken doorways. These juxtapositions serve as quiet meditations on memory, time, and the layered histories embedded in our urban landscapes.
Inside Out is on view from June 26 – August 27, 2025, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, June 26th, 2025, 5:30-7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday and Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.
Inquiries?
https://www.jonilohr.com/
This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library, a non-profit organization committed to planning and sponsoring free educational and cultural programs for all patrons of the JP Library.
Deborah Ellington: Bookish Art
JAMAICA PLAIN, MA — The Jamaica Plain Branch Library, in partnership with the Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library, is thrilled to announce the next exhibit in its 2025 rotating art program: Bookish Art, a solo exhibition by Roslindale-based artist Deborah Ellington
In Bookish Art, Ellington transforms painted book pages and poetry into vivid hand-cut collages. Layering text, color, and shape, she builds unique compositions where typography becomes texture, shadow, and pattern. Each piece is carefully crafted—cut and assembled by hand—reflecting her deep appreciation for storytelling and visual form.
JAMAICA PLAIN, MA — The Jamaica Plain Branch Library, in partnership with the Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library, is thrilled to announce the next exhibit in its 2025 rotating art program: Bookish Art, a solo exhibition by Roslindale-based artist Deborah Ellington
In Bookish Art, Ellington transforms painted book pages and poetry into vivid hand-cut collages. Layering text, color, and shape, she builds unique compositions where typography becomes texture, shadow, and pattern. Each piece is carefully crafted—cut and assembled by hand—reflecting her deep appreciation for storytelling and visual form.
With a background in technical theatre, painting, graphic design and advertising, Ellington draws on years of study at the Art Students League in New York and the Art Institute of Boston. Her discovery of collage as a medium allowed her to integrate skills in painting, design, and typography into a single expressive form.
Inspired by the beauty and power of nature, Ellington’s work explores both two- and three-dimensional space. Her art captures the movement, essence, and complexity of the natural world, inviting viewers to experience its wonder through color, line, and form.
Bookish Art is on view from May 1 – June 25, 2025, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, May 1st, 2025, 5:30-7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday and Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.
Inquiries?
deborahellington@gmail.com
This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of The City-Wide Friends of the Boston Public Library, a volunteer, community-based organization that seeks to enhance public awareness, recognition, status and financial support of the library system through advocacy and education.
Audrey Diallo: Viscera
JAMAICA PLAIN, MA — The Jamaica Plain Branch Library, in partnership with The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library, is excited to announce the next exhibit of its 2025 annual rotating art program, Viscera an exhibition by Somerville-based artist Audrey Diallo.
Viscera refers to the body’s internal organs, symbolizing life’s unseen core. Diallo explores the mystical ties between animal forms and ancestral spiritualism through black-and-white silhouettes on vibrant backgrounds, often featuring women as spiritual guides and caretakers in everyday rituals. This exhibit highlights the soft, essential roles people play in society, blending spiritual and cultural symbolism.
JAMAICA PLAIN, MA — The Jamaica Plain Branch Library, in partnership with The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library, is excited to announce the next exhibit of its 2025 annual rotating art program, Viscera an exhibition by Somerville-based artist Audrey Diallo.
Audrey Diallo's art is inspired by her experiences in West Africa, where the people and communities of Guinea, Mali, and Senegal left a lasting impact. Her work captures the beauty and wisdom she encountered, drawing on the region’s life, art, and nature. "Some experiences are beyond words," Diallo explains, "but on canvas, I can express them fully."
Viscera refers to the body’s internal organs, symbolizing life’s unseen core. Diallo explores the mystical ties between animal forms and ancestral spiritualism through black-and-white silhouettes on vibrant backgrounds, often featuring women as spiritual guides and caretakers in everyday rituals. This exhibit highlights the soft, essential roles people play in society, blending spiritual and cultural symbolism.
Viscera is on view from March 6 – April 30, 2025, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, March 6th, 2025, 5:30-7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday and Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.
Inquiries?
https://diallofineart.weebly.com/
This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of The City-Wide Friends of the Boston Public Library, a volunteer, community-based organization that seeks to enhance public awareness, recognition, status and financial support of the library system through advocacy and education.
Kevin Gillespie: Healing Paths
JAMAICA PLAIN, MA — The Jamaica Plain Branch Library, in partnership with The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library, is excited to announce the first exhibit of its 2025 annual rotating art program, Healing Paths by local artist Kevin Gillespie.
Healing Paths is on view from January 9 – March 5, 2025, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, January 9th, 2025, 5:30-7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday and Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.
This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of The City-Wide Friends of the Boston Public Library, a volunteer, community-based organization that seeks to enhance public awareness, recognition, status and financial support of the library system through advocacy and education.
JAMAICA PLAIN, MA — The Jamaica Plain Branch Library, in partnership with The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library, is excited to announce the first exhibit of its 2025 annual rotating art program, Healing Paths by local artist Kevin Gillespie.
A longtime Jamaica Plain resident for 36 years, Gillespie draws inspiration from the Emerald Necklace and Jamaica Pond, creating serene watercolor and gouache paintings that capture the beauty of the natural world. His en plein air works reflect the calming, restorative power of nature, with a style influenced by celebrated landscape artists such as Homer, Wyeth, Hopper, and Turner.
“The Emerald Necklace, particularly Jamaica Pond, has been my muse,” says Gillespie. “As a city kid, I’ve found healing and renewal in traveling the paths under the trees, taking time to be mindful, breathe, and appreciate the beauty around me.”
Healing Paths offers viewers a peaceful escape through Gillespie’s lens, showcasing the beloved landscapes of Jamaica Plain.
Healing Paths is on view from January 9 – March 5, 2025, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, January 9th, 2025, 5:30-7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday and Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.
Inquiries?
https://kevingillespie.com/
This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of The City-Wide Friends of the Boston Public Library, a volunteer, community-based organization that seeks to enhance public awareness, recognition, status and financial support of the library system through advocacy and education.