Annual Book Sale

The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library host their annual book sale. A great way to feed your reading habits while also supporting the Jamaica Plain Branch Library. We will offer gently used books and DVDs all with bargain rates (all items just $1 or $2). Books for all ages and in every genre. We will be open from 9:30 to 5:00 on both Friday, May 10th and Saturday, May 11th.

‘Local Scenes’ is JP Library’s First Art Exhibition for ’19

Maybe you'll recognize some of the watercolors in the Jamaica Plain Branch Library's first art exhibition for the year because it's "Local Scenes" by Kevin Gillespie. The Jamaica Plain resident's work is often done en plein air, as he illustrates his neighborhood's natural scenes like the shadows of tree branches, water ripples, the four seasons of New England and more. This is the first of six art exhibitions at the library branch due to a partnership between the Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library and the Uforge Gallery. The exhibition will be on view from Jan. 4 through Feb.

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New Exhibit ‘Is the Dark Going to Catch Us’ at Jamaica Plain Branch Library

Myles Dunigan's "Is The Dark Going to Catch Us" is a new exhibit at the Jamaica Plain Branch Library, with black and white images that are reminiscent of photographer Ansel Adams' work. 

Dunigan's exhibit is the sixth, and last one of the year, from the partnership of the Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library and UForge. Myles Dunigan's work uses different printmaking styles with photography and other media to produce layered, textured landscapes that straddle the line between abstraction and realism. The RISD graduate's work is described as, "Rendered in dark, antique hues, hints of scattered flora and mountain terrain weave in and out of more ambiguous motifs resembling cloud bursts or the surface of water." “In an era of technological saturation and cataclysmic weather, I draw upon the tropes of landscape painting to digitally forge new spaces that evoke the sublime and uncanny,” said Dunigan. Myles Dunigan's "Is the Dark Going to Catch Us" is on view at the Jamaica Plain Branch Library from Nov.

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2019 Call for Art Proposals at Jamaica Plain Branch Library

The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library are gearing up for a new round of submissions to select the exhibitions for 2019 season. These bi-monthly exhibits will be proposal-based and selected by a committee comprised by representatives of the Central BPL, JP Branch, Friends of the JP Library, as well as standing members of the local business and arts community. 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. The following art mediums will be considered for selection of five solo shows and one themed group show in Drawing, Mixed Media/Collage, Painting, Photography, and Printmaking.

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Gallery Reception: 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.

Step Inside and Snuggle Up – Vacation Week Reading Event

Come and spend a cozy afternoon at the Loring Greenough House exploring the world of The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan and the Jungle Book! Step Inside and Snuggle Up is a special series just for kids (and their grow-ups!) during school vacation week. LISTEN to a reading of the book-of-the-day! Kids can make themselves at home in the front hall for a read-aloud by one of our volunteers. (Grown-ups can listen too or relax in the parlor with their own book.) Readings at 1:30pm and 2:30pm.

You Tweet and Interactive Lights Change Color at the JP Branch Library

A set of interactive lights were recently installed in the front windows of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library on South Street that change colors when someone tweets the hashtag #jplibrarylights! and a color or colors. There is a caveat, the lights will not receive the message if you have your Twitter account set to "Protect your tweets." The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library helped get the lights installed, said Gretchen Grozier, board co-chair of the Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library. "We enlisted the help of the Mayor's Office New Urban Mechanics (who did a similar project in City Hall last year) for the technical work and also the Office of Arts & Culture helped to do the actual installation," said Grozier, in an email to Jamaica Plain News.

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Two Events: Friends of JP Branch Library Hosting Holiday Party and Book Sale

The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library are hosting two events this week that include a musical performance and a great way to get your holiday shopping started. On Dec. 7th, the Friends of the JP Branch Library are inviting everyone in the community to kick off the holiday season with food and a performance by the Boston Typewriter Orchestra. There will also be a potluck, so please bring an item to share. The event is from 6 to 8 pm.

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‘Juan Murray: Interplay’ Newest Art Exhibition at JP Branch Library Opens Nov. 3rd

The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library in partnership with Uforge are pleased to announce a new exhibition, "Juan Murray: Interplay," to be 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. 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.

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