Tagged art
Reading the City: Books About Plans, Models, and Photos of Cities
Last month we released a post about the Better Philadelphia Exhibition , a 1947 exhibit designed by architects and city planners showing the citizens of Philadelphia their plans for urban renewal in Center City. The exhibition is…
The Better Philadelphia Exhibit: A Vision of the Future From 70 Years Ago
A scrapbook from 1947 documents the Better Philadelphia Exhibition, a showcase of urban renewal projects planned for Center City. How do you represent a city? How do you take a superstructure of buildings, roads, water, land, plazas,…
The Philadelphia Comics Collection Debuts in the Art Department
Are you an avid reader of comics, and of the age 18+? The Art Department is stoked to announce an exciting new collection for you to explore: The Philadelphia Comics Collection (PCC) is a living, growing, cutting-edge catalog made up of…
Join Us for the Premiere Screening of “The Command Center to Bring Women Home”
Join your neighbors at the Parkway Central Library on Wednesday, November 30 at 6 p.m. for the FREE Philadelphia premiere screening of the new short hybrid documentary film, “ The Command Center to Bring Women Home…
The Big Deal about Small Art: No Small Artists, Only Small Artworks
Little Free Libraries have been around since the early 2000’s and many are familiar with their communal “leave a book, take a book” nature. In 2016, Portland artists Erinn Kathryn and Jen LaMastra created the Little…
Explore Creative Careers with Field Teen Center!
Throughout the month of July, Field Teen Center recorded interviews with a voice actor, four game designers, and a comic book writer. If you’re interested in creative jobs or if you just want to learn more about how your favorite…
The Vibrancy and Colors of a Great American Artist: Praising Ashley Bryan
For an artist renowned for his use of color, my first exposure to Ashley Bryan (1923-2022) was the pen and ink drawings in The Dancing Granny . In the 1977 edition published by Atheneum, Mr. Bryan's drawn line captures the movement…
National Children's Craft Day
Do you enjoy creating things with your hands, be it simple origami shapes, drawing, painting, baking, or even learning and creating code? There are few better ways to explore your creativity than just letting loose and making…
The Quilts of Gee's Bend
History is found in the pages of a textbook—or so I thought! This February, celebrate Black History Month by learning more about the history of Black quilt makers! Do you know about the (Quilt) Pieces of Black History series…
Nourishing Literacy | Let's Layer: Art and Cooking!
What art projects can you think of that involve layers? What recipes have you tasted that include layers of ingredients? Leanna and Tonii share two ideas for layering, while creating art and recipes in the following video. These ideas…
A Continued Discussion on the Topics of Surrealism and Gender
Written by Lewis Shaw, who conducted extensive research in the Art Department as part of a Friends Select School Senior Internship Project. The following is a continuation of a previous blog post on the topics of Surrealism and Gender.…
African American Art Collecting and Research with Philadelphia Author Sherry Howard
Updated Tuesday, December 7, 2021 Sherry L. Howard is a Philadelphia-based art collector and researcher who primarily focuses on local African American art and artists. She writes about her experience in the world of art auctions…
Surrealism and Gender
Written by Lewis Shaw, who conducted extensive research in the Art Department as part of a Friends Select School Senior Internship Project. During the extended fever dream which we all refer to as COVID quarantine, I picked up a love of…
Create Something New During National Sewing Month
September is National Sewing Month and a great opportunity to create something new this year for everyone on your D.I.Y gift-giving list. Both the Art and Literature and Science and Wellness departments at Parkway Central Library have…
What Do You Know About Bollywood? | International Bollywood Day
September 24 is International Bollywood Day! So... what exactly is Bollywood? Depending on who you ask, each person defines it differently. In the film My Name Is Khan , an Indian man embarks on a remarkable journey across America…
Best Summer Albums Through the Decades
Whether it is eating ice cream, swimming, or visiting your neighborhood library, there are so many great summer pastimes. One of the most exciting parts of summer is listening to all the incredible music! As we approach the end of…
For the Greatest Number: The New Deal Revisited
by Laura S. and Caitlin G. It’s been ninety years since the crisis of the Great Depression inspired the New Deal’s government investment and aid. But it’s not just history. The country is again facing a choice: What do…
An Update from Our Summer of Wonder Teen Artist Deyania Sanders
Last year, the Free Library put out a contest call for artwork from high school students. Deyania Sanders’ art teacher encouraged her to submit her designs and she was selected to be our Summer of Wonder artist! You’ve seen…
Central Senior Services Joins Moore College of Art to Fight Social Isolation During Pandemic
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has studied the impact of loneliness and social isolation on American seniors and the results are deeply disturbing. Extensive studies of the subject reveal that social isolation of…
Frank Stephens, Jr.: A Free Library Legacy
When Frank Stephens, Jr., passed away in March at the age of 89, many mourned the loss of a friend and colleague. Others were hearing about Frank for the first time. And it was an opportunity for all of us at the Free Library to learn…
Meadow Makers Summer Craft & Reading Club
Join Stephanie every Wednesday this summer for a delightful library program filled with activities, nature exploration, craft making, and heartwarming conversations. This 11-week program is perfect for children from K through 3rd grade,…
Meadow Makers Summer Craft & Reading Club
Join Stephanie every Wednesday this summer for a delightful library program filled with activities, nature exploration, craft making, and heartwarming conversations. This 11-week program is perfect for children from K through 3rd grade,…
Month of Buses: Paint the Art Bus with The Doodlery Art!
Join us on Thursdays in August for a series of visitors offering activities on wheels! August 17th - Paint the Art Bus with The Doodlery Art (rain date 8/18) Facebook Event here. On August 17th, The Doodlery Art will drive up in their…
Philly Typewriter: The Age of Restoration & Preservation
Join the Literature Department and Bryan Kravitz of Philly Typewriter for this 8-part typewriter series. Bryan Kravitz discusses Philly Typewriter and how their helping lead the world in the resurgence of the mechanical typewriter. The…
Meadow Makers Summer Craft & Reading Club
Join Stephanie every Wednesday this summer for a delightful library program filled with activities, nature exploration, craft making, and heartwarming conversations. This 11-week program is perfect for children from K through 3rd grade,…
The Clay Studio's Claymobile!
The Clay Studio's Claymobile is bringing a pop-up ceramics studio to the library's Story Hour Room! Create with a professional artist. All materials will be provided and no experience is needed. Space may be limited…
Meadow Makers Summer Craft & Reading Club
Join Stephanie every Wednesday this summer for a delightful library program filled with activities, nature exploration, craft making, and heartwarming conversations. This 11-week program is perfect for children from K through 3rd grade,…
Summer Art Club
Hang out and make art with us! We will introduce different projects throughout the summer, including embroidery, friendship bracelets, painting, origami, and more. Daycares and schools are encouraged to call Kayla for scheduling…
Meadow Makers Summer Craft & Reading Club
Join Stephanie every Wednesday this summer for a delightful library program filled with activities, nature exploration, craft making, and heartwarming conversations. This 11-week program is perfect for children from K through 3rd grade,…
Textile Crafters Club
Yarn, handwork, sewing and other textile crafters are welcome to socialize, create, learn, and share ideas techniques, and community project opportunities. The group will be led by Ms. Claire Hand. For more information,…
Bryn Ziegler's Don’t Look Into The Abyss and Other Local Comics
This display was curated by book artist Bryn Ziegler and comics scholar Joshua Kopin in partnership with the Art Department as a companion to the book launch event for Ziegler’s Don’t Look Into The Abyss . The works…
Drawing Club
Come to the library to learn how to draw some of your favorite characters, animals, and more with step-by-step instructions!
Beauty on the Horizon: The Art of Landscapes
Landscapes are more than pictures—they are representations of the world around us, an artist’s interpretation of time and place. These interpretations evoke mood through medium, style, and design. Natural features like…
Beauty on the Horizon: The Art of Landscapes
Landscapes are more than pictures—they are representations of the world around us, an artist’s interpretation of time and place. These interpretations evoke mood through medium, style, and design. Natural features like…
Beauty on the Horizon: The Art of Landscapes
Landscapes are more than pictures—they are representations of the world around us, an artist’s interpretation of time and place. These interpretations evoke mood through medium, style, and design. Natural features like…
Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building
The Free Library’s newest exhibition, Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building explores the creative and artistic choices that mapmakers use to build worlds and enhance storytelling. The exhibition delves into the…
Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building
The Free Library’s newest exhibition, Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building explores the creative and artistic choices that mapmakers use to build worlds and enhance storytelling. The exhibition delves into the…
Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building
The Free Library’s newest exhibition, Mapping Imagination: The Art of World-Building explores the creative and artistic choices that mapmakers use to build worlds and enhance storytelling. The exhibition delves into the…
Summer Art Club
Hang out and make art with us! We will introduce different projects throughout the summer, including embroidery, friendship bracelets, painting, origami, and more. Daycares and schools are encouraged to call Kayla for scheduling…
Meadow Makers Summer Craft & Reading Club
Join Stephanie every Wednesday this summer for a delightful library program filled with activities, nature exploration, craft making, and heartwarming conversations. This 11-week program is perfect for children from K through 3rd grade,…
Anime and Manga - Manga for You and Me
Learn the techniques behind the creation of anime.
Anime and Manga - Hot Manga
Get your hands on the newest manga we have.
NewsBank Hot Topics
Trending news and hot topics for your next assignment! Hot topics covers Current Events, Business & Economics, Civics, Government, & Politics, Social Issues, Science, Technology & Health, Sports, Arts & Literature, and People in the News.
AskART
Art Full Text
Art Full Text™ is a comprehensive resource for art information featuring full-text articles from more than 300 periodicals dating back to 1995, high-quality indexing and abstracting of over 600 periodicals dating as far back as 1984,…
Academic OneFile *
More than 18,000 peer-reviewed journals and more than 9,200 in full text Full text of The Economist ranging from 1988 to the present, with no embargo Full text of The New York Times from 1985 to present, updated daily Full text of The…
Reginald Dwayne Betts | Redaction
In conversation with Airea D. Matthews A “powerful work of lyric art” and “tour de force indictment of the carceral industrial state” ( The New York Times Book Review ), Reginald Dwayne Betts ’ poetry collection Felon won the NAACP…
Chloé Cooper Jones | Easy Beauty: A Memoir
In conversation with Isaac Fitzgerald Freelance journalist Chloé Cooper Jones was a 2020 Pulitzer Prize finalist in feature writing for “Fearing for His Life,” a profile of the man who filmed NYPD officers killing Eric Garner. Also a…
Mary Beard | Twelve Caesars: Images of Power from the Ancient World to the Modern
In conversation with Michael Kulikowski “A national treasure, and easily the world’s most famous classicist” ( The Guardian ), Mary Beard “radiates authority and expertise” in guiding her readers through the world of Ancient Roman…
Edward Sorel | Profusely Illustrated
Watch the video on our youtube channel. In conversation with Signe Wilkinson “One of America’s foremost political satirists” ( The New York Times ), illustrator, caricaturist, and cartoonist Edward Sorel has illustrated 41 covers for …
Laura Raicovich | Culture Strike: Art and Museums in an Age of Protest
In conversation with Seph Rodney, PhD, opinions editor and managing editor of the Sunday Edition for Hyperallergic , author of The Personalization of the Museum Visit , and winner of the 2020 Rabkin Arts Journalism Prize. The interim…
Paul Hendrickson | Plagued by Fire: The Dreams and Furies of Frank Lloyd Wright
Paul Hendrickson’s books include Hemingway’s Boat: Everything He Loved in Life, and Lost, 1934–1961 , a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist; Sons of Mississippi , winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award; and The Living…
Jed Perl | Calder: The Conquest of Time: The Early Years: 1898-1940
Watch the video here . “Few people write about art as beautifully” ( Wall Street Journal ) as Jed Perl, a regular contributor to The New York Review of Books and the former 20-year art critic for The New Republic . A longtime…
Walter Isaacson | Leonardo da Vinci
Watch the video here . Released just weeks after the tech guru’s death, Walter Isaacson’s “staggering” ( The New York Times ) portrait of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs instantly became an international bestseller. Isaacson has also penned…
Christina Baker Kline | A Piece of the World
Watch the video here . Christina Baker Kline is the author of The Orphan Train , the no. 1 New York Times bestseller and 2015 One Book, One Philadelphia selection. Her other novels include Bird in Hand, The Way Life Should Be , and…
Ross King | Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lilies
“With a fiction writer’s feel for character” (Philadelphia Inquirer ), Ross King is the author of several nonfiction works that situate art within the context of the history in which it was born, including the New York Times bestsellers…
Edward Sorel | Mary Astor's Purple Diary: The Great American Sex Scandal of 1936 with Jules Feiffer | Cousin Joseph
“One of America’s foremost political satirists” ( New York Times ), illustrator, caricaturist, and cartoonist Edward Sorel has illustrated 41 covers for The New Yorker and has published pictorial essays and features in The Nation ,…
David Salle | How to See: Looking, Talking, and Thinking about Art
One of the principal definers of postmodern art, painter David Salle is one of the last four decades’ most celebrated artists. Known for paintings and prints of what seem to be indiscriminately overlaid found images from a variety of…