Eli Portman: A City in 7 Years

August 22, 2022 in Exhibition

Portman specializes in detailed, studied renderings of city- and landscapes in ink and watercolor, exploring what he describes as “the dissonance between perceived unique individual solitude in a crowded environment, and the commonness and sameness of such feelings.” Often drawn from his own photographs, his images of familiar Boston landmarks like the Boston Public Library and the Gardner Museum tap into shared experiences of those who live in or visit the city, while offering quiet, reflective interpretations of these environments.

Eli Portman: A City in 7 Years is on view from September 2 through October 28, 2022, with a public reception to be held on September 8, 2022, 5:30-7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday 9-5, and Saturday 9-2 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.

This exhibition is proudly sponsored by The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library.

CALL FOR ART: FORGED IN ISOLATION at the Jamaica Plain Branch Library

August 11, 2022 in Call for Proposals

The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library are pleased to announce a special Call for Art as part of a group exhibition to be held November/December 2022, consisting of two-dimensional works by New England area artists in the Jamaica Plain Branch Library’s public exhibition space. The gallery space will be managed by our collaborative partner, Uforge.

Submission Deadline: 5:00 PM on Wednesday, September 21, 2022
Notification of Acceptance: October 5, 2022

FORGED IN ISOLATON
March 2020 disrupted our daily lives and left us to navigate the feelings of loneliness and confinement. As artists this was exceptionally challenging taking a toll on our mental health while our resolve to create waned. As time went on, the constraints of life under lockdown eased up for some and we began to venture forward. Artists are encouraged to submit work to this open call that pays tribute to their personal determination to overcome a challenging situation through art.

Dawn Colsia: Preserving Nature in the City: A Daily Walk Around Jamaica Pond

June 23, 2022 in Exhibition

Her recent series captures the diversity of Jamaica Pond, both its natural wonders of flora and fauna like turtles, herons, and the movement of the water, as well as the people and pets who frequent the space, walking, exercising, reading, fishing, and relaxing. Serene and introspective, rich in detail and color, the photographs invite viewers to pause and reflect on the spectacular beauties of nature and their own connection to the natural world.

Dawn Colsia: Preserving Nature in the City: A Daily Walk Around Jamaica Pond is on view from July 11 - August 31, 2022, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, July 28, 2022, 5:30-7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday 9-5, and Saturday 9-2 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.

This exhibition is proudly sponsored by The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library.

Jan Donley: Reading & Riding

April 14, 2022 in Exhibition

Her compositions explore connections between people, nature, public spaces, and the written word, especially relevant now during our recent experiences of isolation. A teacher as well as a writer and artist, Donley says, “My students come from all over the world, and they remind me that home is fragile and varied and elusive. Just the word ‘home’ can bring a smile or a tear… I write and draw in an attempt to locate home, some center point that grounds me.”

Jan Donley: Reading & Riding is on view from May 6 through July 6, 2022 with a virtual artist meet-and-greet on Thursday, May 12, 2022 from 6:30-7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday-Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.

This exhibition is proudly sponsored by The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library.

Marnie Jain: In Close Proximity 2.0

February 14, 2022 in Exhibition

With a steady hand and an incredible eye for detail, Jain is known for her delightful collage compositions featuring all manner of flora and fauna, with rabbits, frogs, birds, and snakes hidden among flowers and forest greenery. Using bright colors and a range of found imagery, her constructions are playful, textured, and often enlightening.

Marnie Jain: In Close Proximity is on view from March 6 through April 30, 2020, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, March 12, 5:30 - 7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday-Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.This exhibition is proudly sponsored by The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library.

Garrow Throop: The beauty of light

December 31, 2021 in Exhibition

A graduate of RISD, Garrow Throop brings over 40 years of design experience to this series of mixed media works inspired by the natural beauty of Cape Cod. His illusionistic landscapes feature soft, loose brush strokes depicting idyllic scenes of the beach and nearby locales, but upon closer inspection the use of photographs becomes apparent even as the two mediums blend seamlessly. The resulting works are colorful and wistful, evoking the movement of cool sea breezes as well as the stillness of a quiet day.

Garrow Throop: Imagination: The Beauty of Light is on view from January 7 through March 2, 2022, with an artist meet-and-greet to be held on Thursday, January 20 from 5:30-7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday 9-5 (closed Saturday & Sunday. The exhibition space is located on the lower level.

This exhibition is proudly sponsored by The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library.

Marnie Jain: In Close Proximity

February 18, 2020 in Exhibition

With a steady hand and an incredible eye for detail, Marnie Jain is known for her delightful collage compositions featuring all manner of flora and fauna, with rabbits, frogs, birds, and snakes hidden among flowers and forest greenery.

Marnie Jain: In Close Proximity is on view from March 6 through April 30, 2020. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday-Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.

This exhibition is proudly sponsored by The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library.

Robin Radin - The Nearness of Us: Photographs from the Neighborhoods of Jamaica Plain

January 06, 2020 in Exhibition

An established photographer, Radin has exhibited throughout the United States since the 1980s. In the work on view, she stays close to home for inspiration, capturing portraits of Jamaica Plain residents. Rendered in stark black and white, her figures often confront the camera directly, though others are pictured more casually, spending time outdoors in the parks, streets, train stations, and other public spaces of the historic neighborhood.

Robin Radin - The Nearness of Us: Photographs from the Neighborhoods of Jamaica Plain is on view from January 10 through February 28, 2020, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, January 16 , 5:30 - 7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday-Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.

Andrew Stearns: Always on the Camino at the Jamaica Plain Branch Library

October 29, 2019 in Exhibition

With a BFA in Printmaking and History of Art from MassArt, Andrew Stearns explores the continuously shifting narratives of time and space through the investigation of historical moment, with a particular interest in how history is recorded, or simply fades away.

Andrew Stearns: Always on the Camino is on view from November 8 through December 31, 2019, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, November 14, 5:30 - 7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday-Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.

Annie Cardinaux: On Softer Ground: Patchwork Landscapes

August 13, 2019 in Exhibition

First learning quilting techniques from her aunt, Annie Cardinaux has turned her longstanding passion for textile crafts into a series of vivid wall hangings. She employs traditional sewing and quilting techniques to create contemporary patchwork landscapes of rolling hills, expansive fields, quiet lakes, and stately tree groves, pulling inspiration from the natural world while working with uniquely saturated fabric color palettes.

On Softer Ground: Patchwork Landscapes by Annie Cardinaux is on view from September 6 through October 31, 2019, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, September 12, 5:30 - 7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday-Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.

Summertime: A Youth Photo Exhibition

June 19, 2019 in Exhibition

The works on view in Summertime include a mixture of subjects and styles - from color to black and white, from still life to portrait, capturing locations like Old Orchard Beach, the Franklin Park Zoo, the Lynch Family Skate Park in Cambridge, and Narragansett, RI. Many reflect the vivacity of contemporary life in the city, while others focus on quiet, reflective moments. The young artists range in age from 11 to 15 years old, hailing from Brookline, Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, Newton, and other Boston-area towns.

Exhibiting artists: Emily Ball (15), Newton; Mini Burell (14), Dorchester; Kayleigh Clancy (14), Dorchester; Claudia Cortell (15), Boston; Jesse Eliot (14), Jamaica Plain; Mia Finnan (12), Brookline; Karianna Franklin (12), Chelsea; Vera Judkins (13), Matunuck, RI; Jamie Leslie (12), Brookline; Mary Matero (13), West Roxbury; Jaire May (12), Roslindale; Celia Meranus (14), Brookline; Gabriel Nigrovic (12), Brookline; Anna Parisi (14), Nahant; Argi Protopapadakis (11), Brookline; Isobel Salemo (13), Roslindale; Annabella Valle (15), Braintree; Tandin Ward (14), Jamaica Plain; and Sofie Wise (15), Braintree.

Summertime: A Youth Photo Exhibition is on view from July 5 through August 31, 2019, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, July 11, 5:30 - 7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday-Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.

Ruth Lague: Landscapes

April 24, 2019

A graduate of RISD, Ruth LaGue credits her childhood in Alaska as well as her later travels through India for her interest in landscape, where she sees both the limitless interior universe that lives within us and the outer vastness of our physical environment. Working with palette knives on canvas, she strives for economy in her work, combining textures, colors, and patterns. Her large-scale paintings capture various seasons and environments with energetic marks and an abstract ambiguity, seeking to welcome her viewers into her landscapes, perhaps jogging a memory or a simple moment of introspection. They are visual reminders of the concept that everyone is a small part of something larger, more expansive than our individual selves.

Ruth LaGue: Landscapes is on view from May 3 through June 30, 2019, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, May 9, 5:30 - 7:30 PM. The library will host LaGue for a free artist talk as part of ARTWEEK Boston on Saturday, May 4, 10:00 - 11:30 AM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday-Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.

Stacy Friedman: Repeated Remembrance

February 20, 2019 in Exhibition

A graduate of Mass Art, Stacy Friedman merges a variety of printmaking techniques for a layered, textured style that incorporates photographs and family history to explore lineage, memory, and identity. Rendered in antique browns and faded greys, her silhouetted figures are both anonymous and familiar. They blend and fade into one another, hinting at complex relationships and curious connections. Speaking about her medium, Friedman says, “Printmaking’s inherent capability to preserve traces of previous images, and the ability to print ghosts of a matrix, make it an ideal medium to explore both the parallel and interwoven realms of past and present.”

Stacy Friedman: Repeated Remembrance is on view from March 8 through April 30, 2019, with a public open house to be held by the Friends of the Jamaica Plain Library on Saturday, April 6, 2:30-4:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday-Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.

Kevin Gillespie: Local Scenes

December 07, 2018 in Exhibition

A resident of Jamaica Plain for over 30 years, Kevin Gillespie paints serene, closely studied scenes of his neighborhood’s many natural wonders, including Jamaica Pond and the Arnold Arboretum. His work, often done en plein air, captures the shadows of tree branches, the ripples of water, and the changes of the season observed along the well-trod paths of the region’s parks. The medium of watercolor allows for subtle gradations in color and texture along with small details like fallen leaves and footprints in the snow.

Kevin Gillespie: Local Scenes is on view from January 4 through February 28, 2019, with a public open house to be held by the Friends of the Jamaica Plain Library on Thursday, January 10, 5:30-7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday-Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.

2019 Exhibitions Announced

December 07, 2018 in Call for Proposals

The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library are happy to announce the following artists selected for the 2019 exhibition season. Over 50 proposals were reviewed by the 5-member selection committee, comprised of both library staff and members of the community.

Myles Dunigan: Is the Dark Going to Catch Us

October 30, 2018 in Exhibition

A graduate of both RISD and the University of Kansas, Myles Dunigan combines different printmaking styles with photography and other media to produce layered, textured landscapes that straddle the line between abstraction and realism, equally reminiscent of the black and white photographs of Ansel Adams and the mixed media experiments of Anselm Kiefer.

Myles Dunigan: Is the Dark Going to Catch Us is on view from November 2 through December 31, 2018, with a public open house to be held by the Friends of the Jamaica Plain Library on Thursday, November 8, 5:30-7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday-Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.

Kristen Gossler: Confluence

August 28, 2018 in Exhibition

A graduate of RISD, Kristen Gossler creates complex layered works built up from a variety of materials, including water-based pigment, screen printing ink, sumi ink, and acrylic paint. Each of her expressive abstract paintings poses a question, seeking to engage the viewer in an interactive experience. She pulls from a mental inventory of repeated forms found in both the natural and manmade worlds, provoking a familiarity and comfort in the viewer through subliminal means, as well as encouraging personal connection with the work.

Kristen Gossler: Confluence is on view from September 7 through October 31, 2018, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, September 13, 5:30-7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday-Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.

Joni Lohr: Unfinished Stories - A Social Documentary

June 08, 2018 in Exhibition

For 50 years, Lohr has been turning her camera towards the world around her, capturing the energy of live musical performances, the camaraderie between friends, the ghosts of abandoned buildings, and the spontaneity of urban life. For her, art is about storytelling, and she uses photography to communicate infinite narratives for viewers to interpret.

Joni Lohr: Unfinished Stories - A Social Documentary is on view from July 6 through August 31, 2018, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, July 12, 5:30-7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday-Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.

Maureen O'Connor: Just Ducky

April 09, 2018 in Exhibition

A graduate of the Massachusetts College of Art, O’Connor has been exhibiting in Boston since the early 1980s, and her work held in numerous public and private collections, including the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Goodwin and Proctor, and Fidelity Investments. She is known for her playful still lifes of so-called tchotchke’s -- miscellaneous objects collected around the home -- and candy, often paired with floral or polka dot wallpaper.

Maureen O’Connor: Just Ducky is on view from May 4 through June 30, 2018, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, May 10, 5:30-7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday-Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.

This exhibition is proudly sponsored by Optical Designs, Inc., a family-owned and operated business located in the heart of Jamaica Plain.

Cassandra Klos: Mars on Earth

February 06, 2018 in Exhibition

Raised in New Hampshire, Klos studied art and psychology at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. Her projects focus on manipulating the validity of photography and creating dual realities that breathe life into situations where visual manifestations may not be available.

Cassandra Klos: Mars on Earth is on view from March 2 through April 30, 2018, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, March 8, 5:30-7:30 PM. The library is open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 12-8, and Friday-Saturday 9-5 (closed Sundays). The exhibition space is located on the lower level.