Picturing America for Public Libraries

During Black History Month, we had a professor speak about African art. We showcased several of the prints from African American artists at this event, including Walker Evans’ Brooklyn Bridge; The Migration of the Negro panel by Jacob Lawrence, James Karales’ photograph of the Selma-to-Montgomery March for Voting Rights, and Ladder for Booker T. Washington by Martin Puryear. These works were on display during the entire month of February, when the library offered a number of additional humanities programs relating to Black History, including hosting a Traveling Museum and a music performance.

We created a special display featuring the photograph of the Robert Gould Shaw and the Fifty-Fourth Regiment Memorial. We paired this with smaller photos and related documents from our Abraham Lincoln, People, Places, Politics: History in a Box that the library received through the We the People bookshelf. In honor of the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth, we displayed Alexander Gardner’s portrait with historical documents from the Abraham Lincoln, People, Places, Politics: History in a Box that we received through the We the People bookshelf.

During a gardening class held in late March 2009, patrons were introduced to Thomas Cole’s The Oxbow as well as The Veteran in a New Field by Winslow Homer. The library is currently hosting a showcase of 8th and 9th grade students’ artwork from a local high school. Their works include pottery pieces. We have paired the Pottery and Baskets print with this handmade pottery to allow the students and patrons to compare and contrast the works.

Submitted by Kim Braun