Jamaica Plain News (https://www.jamaicaplainnews.com/tag/jamaica-plain-branch-library/page/5)
See what qigong is all about in this one-hour "taster" workshop. Take an hour to take care of yourself. Qigong (“chee-gung”) is the practice of cultivating mental and physical balance by coordinating breath, movement and awareness. Medical qigong is said to help the body heal and stay strong through the use of exercises designed to gently stretch and strengthen. All ages and abilities are welcome.
In honor of LGBT Pride Month the Jamaica Plain Branch Library will be holding a Drag Queen Story Hour this Saturday. The story hour is a program for children ages 3 to 8, which will raise awareness of gender diversity, promote self-acceptance and build empathy through an enjoyable literary experience, according to the Jamaica Plain Branch Library's Facebook page. Ramona Mirage will direct the event by singing songs, reading picture books and leading craft activities that are about Pride Month. The Drag Queen Story Hour will be at the Jamaica Plain Branch Library (30 South St.) from 11 to 11:45 am on Saturday, June 2, 2018.
Two ceramic ducks are the stars of newest art exhibit that recently opened at the Jamaica Plain Branch Library. Artist Maureen O'Connor is known for her playful still life works of tchotchkes, and in this exhibit it's a pair of ducks that were given to her by her former roommate’s mother. The is the latest exhibit presented by the Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library in partnership with Uforge. This is one of six art exhibits planned for the year at the South Street library. "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.
Every spring, the city of Boston releases our Imagine Boston Capital Plan for the next five years. It outlines where our city’s budget will be focused, our longer-term plans, and our priorities. Essentially, the capital plan details what initiatives and projects in your neighborhood and across the city that we’ll be investing in to make Boston’s future brighter. From Jamaica Pond to the Curley K-8 School, it’s my priority to create growth and opportunity for every Bostonian in every neighborhood. Boston will be at its best when all its residents have the support and opportunity they need to thrive.
The latest art exhibit at the Jamaica Plain Branch Library presents photos that show a real-life experience on earth that simulates Mars' environment. The exhibit's photos by conceptual artist Cassandra Klos are from her time as an artist-in-residence in 2017 at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah. The station is a facility that provides Earth-based research to learn more about what's needed to further human space exploration. At the facility people from around the world dedicate weeks and months while donning space suits, eating diets consisting of only freeze-dried food with a purpose to simulate Mars' environment. Klos' photographs of the project "blur the lines between reality and science-fiction, depicting red desert landscapes, lonely astronauts, space station gadgets and starry skies."
A new art exhibit by JP-based mixed media artist and designer Liliana Marquez debuted at the Jamaica Plain Branch Library this week. The new exhibit, RePOPART, epitomizes Marquez's artistic practice of reclamation by relying on found and recycled materials, often taken from construction sites, to create sculptural wall-hanging abstractions. "RePOPART is about attitude. RePOPART is an idea that forces us to RE-think ART,” said Marquez of her three-dimensional works exhibit. Marquez's work is flexible, able to be hung at different angles and orientations, while using bright colors and bold shapes to reflect her background in graphic design.
You may not know sculptor Matthew Hinçman by name, but you probably know his thought-provoking work from around the neighborhood. Come next year there will be another significant Hinçman art piece in JP, as he was recently selected to create a public art project at the Jamaica Plain Branch Library. Hinçman, a JP resident, is a sculptor and educator, best known for the Jamaica Pond Bench (2006) and STILL (2014), both located in Jamaica Plain, and his pieces are generally found in public places. The Jamaica Pond Bench is a bench with two backs, thus forming a U-shape. STILL references the 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin in Florida, and is affixed to an abandoned lamp-post base in the shadow of the Civil War Soldier’s Monument at South and Centre streets.
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.
It’s time for universal pre-kindergarten to be a reality in Massachusetts. Join us for a discussion with State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz about how we can make this happen. KIDS ARE WELCOME. Coffee will be served. This discussion is being organized by a group of local JP parents and friends.
Did you make a new year's resolution to clean out some of your clutter? Dave Downs will present a fun-filled humorous program loaded with personal examples of his own love/hate relationship with STUFF! He wants to address these questions: Why do Americans have too many possessions? How can we begin to resolve this problem? After presenting several BIG reasons why we have so much STUFF, Dave shares original thoughts, practical tips, and easy to understand strategies that anyone can use to begin the process of change.