The Art of the Library Company

The Art of the Library Company Artists have long been drawn to the Library Company as a place of work, finding wonder and delight in the collections as well as in the routine procedures of library science. The work of collecting, preserving, and interpreting early American imprints and ephemera has also been known to inspire non-artists to express themselves creatively. This exhibition presents a sample of recent work by six current staff members paired with the sources of their inspiration, from an elaborate mother-of-pearl binding, to a broadside with a curious advertisement for the "Dance of the Six Dinner Plates," to a tiny paper love token found tucked in the pages of a bible, to a functional catalog entry description. The work displayed shows the breadth of forms in which Library Company artists work, as well as the range of objects, texts, and processes that have inspired them. The artwork in this exhibition includes the arts of printmaking, poetry, bookbinding, collage, drawing, and painting and was created by staff from the Conservation Department, the Cataloging Department, the Reading Room, and the Print & Photograph Department.

Photos by Jon Snyder

The Art of the LIbrary Company
Concetta Barbera, A is for Atlas
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