Opetubo’s ‘Wallpaper’ Exhibit Now on Display at Jamaica Plain Branch Library

A new exhibit featuring the work of Boston-based artist Bosede A. Opetubo is now on display at the Jamaica Plain Branch Library. Opetubo is a self-taught artist who works with photography, installation, collage, and digital media. Her work explores the lives of women and what she sees as “the small choices that come to define us.”
The exhibit is displaying her recent digital collage series titled “Wallpaper,” inspired by her own experiences with pregnancy and motherhood, as well as themes of domesticity and identity. The project began as a paper sculpture installation in the artist’s home, and expanded into drawings and digital illustrations, with imagery that veers into abstraction merging human silhouettes with expanses of crumbled-up multicolored papers, at times resembling mountain ranges and at others, fallen leaves, according to a press release. Opetubo invites viewers of the exhibit to “join me on this overwhelming, necessary, and maddening journey that, as a parent, I try to find beauty and purpose in.”
Bosede A. Opetubo: Wallpaper is on view through November 1, 2023. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday 9-5, and Saturday 9-2 (closed Sundays).

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Brown’s ‘Motherhood is Perennial’ Quilt Exhibit at Jamaica Plain Branch Library

Quilter Christine Brown's "Motherhood is Perennial" show is now on exhibit at the Jamaica Plain Branch Library. The show opened May 4 and will be on display through June 28, and features textile works of Brown's. A multidisciplinary artist and educator, Brown credits her sewing skills to the local 4H club, an experience which led to her commitment to teaching sewing to the next generation of artists through lessons and workshops, according to a press release. Her exhibit explores the quilt as an object that provides warmth and comfort, similar to the ways a mother does. Saved and mended through generations, quilts transform as they age, and gain personality through their owners.

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Nosenko ‘I’m Glad You’ve Left’ Exhibit Opens at Jamaica Plain Library March 2

Photographer Yana Nosenko's solo exhibition I’m Glad You’ve Left opens at the Jamaica Plain Branch Library on March 2. Nosenko's exhibit explores immigration, displacement, nomadism, and familial separation, reflecting on her own experiences growing up within a Kazakh family living in Russia, and now living in the U.S. for the past few years with limited ability to travel outside the country, according to a press release. “I’ve been told that no one leaves home from an excess of happiness and comfort. One leaves, because it’s not possible to remain," said Nosenko. Her color photography reveals quiet interiors with unexpected details, nostalgic portraits, and a wistful atmosphere.

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Bucklaew’s ‘Winter Landscapes’ Exhibit at Jamaica Plain Branch Library

Jamaica Plain printmaker Quenby Bucklaew's Winter Landscapes solo exhibition is the first art show at the Jamaica Plain Library for 2023. Bucklaew has been inspired by her world travels, and utilizes bold shapes, a limited use of color, and tactile qualities resulting from a mixture of printmaking techniques. She captures her own ephemeral impressions of place and time, as well as the emotional impact they can have. Winter Landscapes includes travel-inspired prints from 2019, as well as new pieces created since the pandemic when she found inspiration in her own neighborhood by exploring the natural beauty of Jamaica Plain, and especially Jamaica Pond. Her multilayered compositions feature stark, snowy expanses punctuated by spindly tree branches, blurry city skylines, and the calm, reflective spread of the pond, all marked by the textured detail of woodblock and collagraph printing.

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Portman’s ‘A City in 7 Years’ Exhibit at Jamaica Plain Branch Library

Boston artist Eli Portman's exhibit 'A City in 7 Years' is now on display at the Jamaica Plain Branch Library. Portman describes his work as “the dissonance between perceived unique individual solitude in a crowded environment, and the commonness and sameness of such feelings,” according to a press release. He specializes in detailed, studied renderings of city- and landscapes in ink and watercolor. Portman's solo exhibit is the newest exhibit as part of the rotating art program supported by The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library in partnership with Uforge. Portman often draws based on his own photography including Boston landmarks like the Boston Public Library and the Gardner Museum, which allow him to tap into shared experiences of those who live in or visit the city.

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Local Photographer’s Jamaica Plain Library Exhibit is ‘Preserving Nature in the City’

Local photographer Dawn Colsia's new exhibit at the Jamaica Plain Library captures the diversity of Jamaica Pond. “Every morning I walk around Jamaica Pond with my camera in one hand and my dog in the other. What started as a daily walk has become my morning meditation and reflection on the role nature has played in my life," said Colsia. The show, Preserving Nature in the City: A Daily Walk Around Jamaica Pond, runs through August 31, with a public reception on July 28 from 5:30-7:30 pm. Prior to becoming a full-time artist, Colsia practiced law, was a mediator, and worked to improve policy for people with disabilities, according to a press release.

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Jamaica Plain Branch Library Book Sale is May 5-7

The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library Spring Book Sale is May 5 through May 7. Hardcovers are $2 and paperbacks are $1. You may not use scanners or save books. The book sale is occurring at the following times:

May 5: 5-8 pm
May 6: 9:30 am - 5 pm
May 7: 9:30 am - noon

The library is located at 30 South St.

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‘In Close Proximity 2.0’ Art Exhibit at Jamaica Plain Branch Library Thru May 4

Unlike 2020, Jamaica Plain-based collage artist Marnie Jain's art exhibit at the Jamaica Plain Branch Library, was not cancelled thanks to the lousy pandemic. And you can check out Jain's In Close Proximity 2.0 exhibit at the library through May 4. The exhibit is part of the library's rotating art program, supported by The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library in partnership with Uforge. Uforge described Jain's work:
With a steady hand and an incredible eye for detail, Marnie Jain is known for her delightful collage compositions featuring all manner of flora and fauna, with rabbits, frogs, birds, and snakes hidden among flowers and forest greenery. Using bright colors and a range of found imagery, her constructions are playful, textured, and often enlightening.

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Meet Children’s Librarian of Jamaica Plain Branch Library; Lots of Library Fun for Kids!

The Boston Public Library Children's Facebook page recently featured Barbara, who's been working at the Jamaica Plain Branch Library for more than 30 years. "I love working in this community full of great kids and families and so many avid readers," said Barbara. "My favorite genre is fantasy and I'm currently reading The Last Cuentista. I love library programming and sharing books with children." Barbara said the South Street library is offering outdoor Preschool Story Times for children (ages 2-4) on Wednesdays at 10:30 am and Kids Club (ages 4 and up) on Wednesdays at 4 pm.

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‘Imagination: The Beauty of Light’ New Art Exhibit at JP Library; Artist Virtual Meet-and-Greet Jan. 20

The rotating art program at the Jamaica Plain Branch Library is back with Garrow Throop's Imagination: The Beauty of Light, which is now on display. Throop's exhibit will be on display through March 2, 2022 on the lower level of the library during regular hours. There will be a virtual artist meet-and-greet on Thursday, Jan. 20 from 5:30 to 7:30 using this link. The rotating art program is supported by the Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library in partnership with Uforge.

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