Bloomingdale and Belafonte Branch News
By Caitlin Hawke
Watch this space because sometime in the coming year, our beloved Bloomingdale branch of the NYPL will be closing for a year's worth of upgrades, including a new teen space. Between now and then, check out David Ochoa's collage workshop that he runs for BAiP and the library's community every Monday at 2 pm. Also coming up on April 28th is BAiP's 4th Annual Play-reading event.
Once the Bloomingdale NYPL work begins, neighbors will be scattered to different NYPL branches during the hiatus. So now's a great time to explore which branch you'll check out! May I suggest the Belafonte?
Neighbor Helen Broady shared the flyer below about a collections-inspired art exhibit, Infinite Archive: NYPL, at the Harry Belafonte branch at W. 115th and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard. The opening happens this Thursday, April 5, from 5:00-6:30pm and you are cordially invited to check it out. The exhibit includes works from 30 artists each responding to a book, poem, periodical or other archival material from The New York Public Library’s vast collection. Infinite Archive: NYPL runs through August. If you miss the opening, the exhibit is on view during regular library hours Tuesday to Saturday.
I've sung the praises here of the NYPL in general for their digital collections and in particular for the Bloomingdale branch's devoted space to neighborhood archives gathered by the Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group. And while I have many a bone to pick with some of the strategic decisions and real estate transactions the NYPL has imprudently rolled out, its collections are -- to grossly understate it -- a city treasure. I find myself poking around in them all the time.
So the theme of this art exhibit at Belafonte is a very intriguing intersection of old and new.
Here's an excerpt from the press release and for more information, visit the branch's website. Hope to see you there!
Responding directly to literary works, each artwork presents a complex dialogue between the artist and the selected text. Housed within a vintage card catalog, visitors are encouraged to discover varied artworks as they open each drawer. Many artworks include interactive elements, such as solving a puzzle, exploring a maze or unfolding an abstract painting.
Artists in the exhibition include; Anna Alfredson, Jose Manuel Arguelles, Ken Augushi, Erica Bailey, Rick Bleier, Sarah Bouchard, Louise Braverman, Tegan Brozyna, Heather Chontos, Susanne Claussen, Carol Collicutt, Lionel Cruet, Vanezza Cruz, Andrea Cukier, Peter Hamlin, Carrie Hawks, Samantha Holmes, Aya Kakeda, Rohin Khemani, Stephanie Lindquist, Stephanie Mulvihill, Maja Padrov, Patrick Perry, Henry Portillo, Mary Preston, Randy Regier, Sarah Rowe, Shelley Stefan, Rachel Sydlowski, and Natalie Collette Wood. |