Maureen O'Connor: Just Ducky

The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library in partnership with Uforge are pleased to announce a new exhibition as part of their rotating art program. After soliciting proposals from a range of local artists, a selection committee comprised of community members and BPL staff have chosen six exceptional artists to fill its gallery space over the course of 2018. During the months of May and June, a series of charming works by Boston-based painter Maureen O’Connor will be exhibited.

A graduate of the Massachusetts College of Art, O’Connor has been exhibiting in Boston since the early 1980s, and her work held in numerous public and private collections, including the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Goodwin and Proctor, and Fidelity Investments. She is known for her playful still lifes of so-called tchotchke’s -- miscellaneous objects collected around the home -- and candy, often paired with floral or polka dot wallpaper. Lively and bright, her paintings are tinged with nostalgia, recalling 1970s interiors with their fun patterns and decidedly analog subjects. Her works on view in Just Ducky focus on her favorite subject: a pair of ceramic ducks given to her by her former roommate’s mother. These small inanimate knick knacks find new life under O’Connor’s brush, turning their seemingly quizzical expressions on gumball machines, rubber ducky toys, flowers, and each other. Each work allows the artist the opportunity to explore interactions of light and shadow, color and pattern, and a variety of surfaces.

Maureen O’Connor: Just Ducky is on view from May 4 through June 30, 2018, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, May 10, 5:30-7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday-Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.

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This exhibition is proudly sponsored by Optical Designs, Inc., a family-owned and operated business located in the heart of Jamaica Plain.

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Cassandra Klos: Mars on Earth

The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library in partnership with Uforge are pleased to announce a new exhibition as part of their rotating art program. After soliciting proposals from a range of local artists, a selection committee comprised of community members and BPL staff have chosen six exceptional artists to fill its gallery space over the course of 2018. During the months of March and April, a project by Boston-based photographer and conceptual artist Cassandra Klos will be featured.

Raised in New Hampshire, Klos studied art and psychology at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. Her projects focus on manipulating the validity of photography and creating dual realities that breathe life into situations where visual manifestations may not be available. Along with several group and solo exhibitions, her work has been published in The Atlantic and The Boston Globe, and her photojournalism reporting has been published in TIME Magazine and Wired.

In 2017, Klos was artist-in-residence at the Mars Desert Research Station, a space analog facility in Utah that supports Earth-based research in pursuit of the technology, operations, and science required for human space exploration. With prototype space suits and diets consisting only of freeze-dried food, people from around the globe dedicate weeks, or months, of their lives simulating the Mars environment to further the study of leaving Earth behind. Klos’s photographs of the project blur the lines between reality and science-fiction, depicting red desert landscapes, lonely astronauts, space station gadgets, and starry skies.

Cassandra Klos: Mars on Earth is on view from March 2 through April 30, 2018, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, March 8, 5:30-7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday-Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.

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This program is supported in part by a grant from the Boston Cultural Council, a local agency which is funded by the Mass Cultural Council, and administered by the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture.

Liliana Marquez: RePOPART

Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, Liliana Marquez has always been part of a creative, multicultural environment. She has dedicated her artistic practice to the concept of reclamation, relying on found and recycled materials--often taken from construction sites--to create sculptural wall-hanging abstractions. Her work is flexible, able to be hung at different angles and orientations, grouped together in different ways or shown stand-alone. Her bright colors and bold shapes reflect her background in graphic design, while the varied textures indicate her interest in mass production and reuse, calling back to the processes of Pop Art. For Marquez, “RePOPART is about attitude. RePOPART is an idea that forces us to RE-think ART.”

Liliana Marquez: RePOPART is on view from January 5 - February 25, 2018, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, January 11, 5:30-7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday-Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.

This exhibition is proudly sponsored by The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library.

Juan Murray: Interplay

The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library in partnership with Uforge are pleased to announce a new exhibition held in their recently renovated library space. After soliciting proposals from over 50 local artists and groups, a selection committee comprised of community members and BPL staff chose four exceptional artists to fill its gallery for the rest of 2017, with photography by Juan Murray winning the final slot.

Juan Murray has been working in local real estate since 1994. As with many working artists, his day job shines through in his artistic practice, which takes the form of black and white urban photography. His architectural images are bold and poetic, steeped in chiaroscuro in his effort to “chase the light” as it interacts with different forms. The extreme contrast of light and dark at times abstracts his subjects, allowing the viewer to take in new details and formal elements of everyday buildings and streets. His figures are generally cast in shadow, dwarfed by their surroundings, signifying a kind of awe for man-made structures while also reflecting the anonymity of urban living. Together the series stands as a visual commentary of the contemporary city experience, with glass-and-concrete architecture towering over residents, allowing equal parts sunshine and darkness to fall.

Juan Murray: Interplay is on view from November 3 through December 30, 2017, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, November 9, 5:30-7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday-Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.

This exhibition is proudly sponsored by Optical Designs, Inc., a family-owned and operated business located in the heart of Jamaica Plain.

Shao Yuan Zhang: Silent Canyons

The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library in partnership with Uforge are pleased to announce a new exhibition held in the renovated library space. After soliciting proposals from over 50 local artists and groups, a selection committee comprised of community members and BPL staff chose four exceptional artists to fill its gallery for the rest of 2017, with printmaker Shao Yuan Zhang exhibiting for the third spot.

Born and raised in China, Zhang was sent to the countryside as a teenager, where he worked in the rice fields and created propaganda art for the communist party’s Cultural Revolution movement. In the late 1980s, he immigrated to the US to pursue his MFA at the University of Utah, developing his prowess in various printmaking techniques. Currently based in Boston, today Zhang depicts vast forest landscapes and red rock canyons with a surreal, otherworldly vision. His simplified forms accentuate a stark, isolated experience emotionally resonant with his immigrant journey. Each monotype was created with Asian rice paper using a technique derived from ancient Chinese painting. Through delicate line-work and luminous colors, he illustrates rock formations to capture how the light transforms them. With their subtle shifts in tone, quiet atmosphere, and jagged shapes, often punctuated by a solitary moon, these prints encourage close study and reflection, simultaneously suggesting faraway worlds and internal struggles.

Shao Yuan Zhang: Silent Canyons is on view from September 8 through October 31, 2017, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, September 14, 5:30-7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday-Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.

http://www.shaoyuanzhang.com/

This exhibition is proudly sponsored by the City-Wide Friends of the Boston Public Library, a nonprofit promoting public awareness of the Boston Public Library system and its resources through:

1. Furthering appreciation of the value of the Library as a cultural and educational asset
2. Supporting and linking the activities of Branch Library Friends groups.

2018 CALL FOR ART at Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library

Deadline: By 5:00 PM on Friday, October 13, 2017

Following four months after the opening of the renovated Jamaica Plain Branch in May, the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library has hosted two out of four scheduled exhibitions for 2017 with managing partner, Uforge.

We are gearing up for a new round of submissions to select the exhibitions for 2018 season.  These bi-monthly exhibits will be proposal-based, selected by a group of Jamaica Plain-area artists and library affiliates.  The Friends welcome artists from across New England to submit recent two-dimensional work for a solo or group show, each lasting for two-month periods. There is no specific theme, but artists are encouraged to include work that can be enjoyed by the diverse visitorship of the JP Branch Library, including children, teens, and other community members. Accepted work will be displayed in a public area of the JP Branch Library, and an accompanying reception will be organized by Uforge on behalf of the Friends.

Submission is free! Digital packets must be received by 5:00 PM on Friday, October 13th. Physical/in-person submissions will not be accepted. For more information about the materials required, please go to http://www.friendsjplibrary.org/gallery-proposal

If you have any questions, please email gallery@friendsjplibrary.org.

Cristina Rosa Nelson: Ikonoplastic

The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library in partnership with Uforge are pleased to announce the second exhibition held in the newly renovated library space. After soliciting proposals from over 50 local artists and groups, a selection committee comprised of community members and BPL staff chose four exceptional artists to fill its gallery for the rest of 2017, with mixed media artist Cristina Rosa Nelson filling the second spot.

Based in Jamaica Plain, Nelson combines her academic expertise in history and gender theory with her multicultural background through whimsical, multivalent collages and assemblages. She collects objects and paper ephemera incessantly, accumulating medical textbook pages, vintage illustrations, animal figurines, environmental detritus, and various thrifted bric-a-brac. These components are then brought together in two- and three-dimensional mixed media creations, each layered with characters and symbols at once familiar and strange. As the title suggests, Nelson considers her work iconoclastic, smashing together recognizable historical figures, fashion models, fantastical creatures, and traditional monuments with irreverence, critique, and at times a cheeky sense of humor. However, it is also plastic, open to many interpretations as each viewer brings their own experience, knowledge, and perspective to the work.

Cristina Rosa Nelson: IKONOPLASTIC is on view from July 7 through August 31, 2017, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, July 13, 5:30-7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday-Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.

http://www.boxologymixedmedia.com/

http://www.friendsjplibrary.org/

Steven Edson: Road Paint

The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library in partnership with Uforge are pleased to announce the first exhibition held in the newly renovated library space. After soliciting proposals from over 50 local artists and groups, a selection committee comprised of community members and BPL staff has chosen four exceptional artists to fill its gallery for the rest of 2017. With upcoming exhibits of photography, printmaking, and collage, there is an exciting range of original art in store for the space!

The debut show for May and June highlights the work of Steven Edson, a photographer based in Belmont. With a keen eye for detail and fondness for pattern and texture, Edson captures abstract selections of paint found on city streets, boiling them down to an essence of line, shape, and color. His works make the familiar suddenly unfamiliar, reframing the pavement traversed unnoticed by so many pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers every day. Each photograph carries multiple levels of interpretation, whether viewed literally, figuratively, or abstractly.

Steven Edson: Road Paint is on view from May 5 through June 30, 2017, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, June 8, 6:00-8:00 PM. Please check the library website for hours.

This exhibition is sponsored by The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library. A non-profit dedicated to planning and sponsoring free educational and cultural programs for all who visit the JP Library. Please check the library website for hours. www.friendsjplibrary.org

2017 Exhibitions Announced

The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library are happy to announce the following artists selected for the 2017 exhibition season.  Over 50 proposals were reviewed by the 5-member selection committee, comprised of both library staff and members of the community. 

May/June: Steven Edson
July/August: Cristina Rosa Nelson
September/October: Shao Zhang
November/December: Juan Murray

The next call for proposals will be announced at the end of the summer, so please stay tuned to the Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library's website and/or social media outlets!

Sincerely,
Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library

CALL FOR ART at Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library

Deadline: By 5:00 PM on Friday, April 7th, 2017

Following a round of stunning renovations set to be completed this spring, the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library will be regularly showing work by local artists in a series of exhibitions sponsored by the Friends of the JP Branch Library and managed by Uforge. These bi-monthly exhibits will be proposal-based, selected by a group of Jamaica Plain-area artists and library affiliates, including Ginny Zanger of the JP Art Association and Eve Griffin of the Boston Public Library. The Friends welcome artists from across New England to submit recent two-dimensional work for a solo or group show, each lasting for two-month periods. There is no specific theme, but artists are encouraged to include work that can be enjoyed by the diverse visitorship of the JP Branch Library, including children, teens, and other community members. Accepted work will be displayed in a public area of the JP Branch Library, and an accompanying reception will be organized by Uforge on behalf of the Friends.

Submission is free! Digital packets must be received by 5:00 PM on Friday, April 7th. Physical/in-person submissions will not be accepted. For more information about the materials required, please go to http://www.friendsjplibrary.org/gallery-proposal

If you have any questions, please email gallery@friendsjplibrary.org.

The Friends of the JPBL Launch a New Partnership with Uforge

After closing its Centre Street doors in October, Uforge is excited to embark on a new collaborative partnership with the Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library.

Founded in 1952, the Friends are committed to sponsoring and supporting various cultural and educational programs at the JP Branch of the Boston Public Library, and have been planning new ways to enhance its artistic offerings. The branch is currently undergoing major renovations, which will result in new public exhibition space available for local artists when it reopens in May 2017. The Friends have teamed up with Uforge to create a new proposal-based exhibition program, inviting artists to submit their work for solo or group exhibitions to be displayed in the JP Branch’s space throughout the year. After a group of community members and BPL staff select the artists, Uforge will manage the exhibits and accompanying events.  The Boston Public Library is allowing this partnership to take place in their building as they strive to find new innovative ways to collaborate with the community.

“We are looking forward to bringing our curatorial and organizational skills to a new venue, while continuing to promote local artists within and beyond the Jamaica Plain community,” said Brian Crete, the Director of Uforge.

“After more than a decade of advocating for a renovation that included exhibit space, we are so excited to embark on this partnership with Uforge to manage the new gallery space. We are grateful that the BPL was receptive to this pioneering approach to engage the JP community and enliven the branch with enriching art displays,” said Don Haber and Gretchen Grozier, Co-chairs of the Friends of the JP Branch Library.