‘Always on the Camino’ Exhibit at Jamaica Plain Branch Library

The latest art exhibit at the JP Branch Library is based on a resident's 500-mile pilgrimage leading to the shrine of the apostle St. James the Great in Spain. Andrew Stearns' Always on the Camino is the last exhibit at the Jamaica Plain Branch Library for 2019. This is the newest exhibit as part of a rotating art program by the Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library, in partnership with Uforge. Stearns is a Jamaica Plain-based printmaker with a BFA in Printmaking and History of Art from MassArt.

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Friends of the JP Branch Library Annual Meeting

Every year, the Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library gather to give an update on what we've been up to and what's in store for the future. This is a great opportunity to stay up to date on your local library. Following our updates we'll all share desserts, live music, and good company! Join us on the lower level of the library from 6:30 to 8:00 on Thursday, October 10.

Next Jamaica Plain Fixit Clinic is September 14

Calling all broken toys, computers, lamps and more -- the next Jamaica Plain Fixit Clinic is September 14. The clinic is great way to stop things from being tossed into the landfill. Just bring your broken household items with any manuals (if you still got them), and a willingness to learn. Tools and volunteer coaches will provide their knowledge to help fix a variety of things. Bikes and skateboards, clothing and fabric items, computers and phones, toys and wooden items, small kitchen appliances, small electrical devices, jewelry, lamps and a lot more.

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2020 Call for Art Proposals at Jamaica Plain Branch Library

The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library have put a call for a new round of submissions to select the art exhibitions for 2020. The 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, according to a press release. Artists from across New England are invited to submit recent two-dimensional work for a solo or group show that will lasting for two-month periods. No specific theme is needed, but artists should keep in mind that the works need to be enjoyed by the diverse library community, which includes children, teenagers, and adults. The following art mediums will be considered for selection of five solo shows and one themed group show: drawing, mixed media/collage, painting, photography, and printmaking.

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New Library Exhibit, Summertime, Features 19 Youth Photographers

Summertime, the next art exhibit at the Jamaica Plain Branch Library, not only has a timely name, but it also features the work of 19 youth photographers. Ranging in age from 11 to 15 years old, the students are training at the Big Picture Art House, which trains middle schoolers while traveling around Boston. Classes are structured around themes like Storytelling or Street Photography, while others focus on making movies or documentaries. The works on view in Summertime include a mix of subjects and styles -- color, black and white, still life, portrait -- while capturing locations like Old Orchard Beach, the Franklin Park Zoo, the Lynch Family Skate Park in Cambridge, and Narragansett, RI. The students in the show are from Brookline, Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, Newton, and other Boston-area towns.

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Free Screening of ‘Paris to Pittsburgh’ Doc on Climate Change, Citizen Activism on June 6

Join Mothers Out Front at a free screening of "Paris to Pittsburgh" on June 6 at the Jamaica Plain Branch Library.  

“From coastal cities to America’s heartland, Paris to Pittsburgh celebrates how Americans are demanding and developing real solutions in the face of climate change. And as the weather grows more deadly and destructive, they aren’t waiting on Washington to act,” describes the documentary's website. The documentary is presented by National Geography, produced by Radical Media, and was created in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies. The documentary is being screened at 6 pm at the JP Library (30 South St.).

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Ruth LaGue Exhibit ‘Landscapes’ Now at Jamaica Plain Library

Having lived her childhood in Alaska, as well as travels through India, Ruth LaGue credits both locations as great influences to her painting landscapes. And you can check out her landscape paintings in her new art exhibit at the Jamaica Plain Library. Both Alaska and India led LaGue to see, "...the limitless interior universe that lives within us and the outer vastness of our physical environment." Utilizing palette knives on canvas, the artists tries to employ economy in her work while combining textures, colors and patterns, according to a press release about the new exhibit. The RISD alum's large-scale paintings show various seasons and environments that invite viewers to perhaps recall a memory or provide a simple moment of introspection.

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BLO Brings ‘Barber of Seville’ for Kids to JP Libraries

Artists from Boston Lyric Opera recently visited an ennead of public libraries, including Jamaica Plain's two branches, to perform kid-themed excerpts from "The Barber of Seville." Boston Lyric Opera artists performed one-hour participatory programs that were free and open to kids and families, ideally for ages 6 to 12. The program featured two professional singers, and a pianist. Held during February school vacation week, the pianist also acted as a teaching artist who introduced opera to the young audiences through a melodic, engaging and theatrical presentation. This is the third year that the BLO has part This is the third year the BPL has partnered with the BLO to present how opera tells a story.

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