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Featured news, events, and stories from Madison Public Library
Just like plants and animals develop new characteristics as they become tamed by human beings, art can be domesticated as well.
Artist Hannah O’Hare Bennett invites the public to explore the domestication of nature-inspired art in spaces that feel domestic themselves during her May-June residency with the Bubbler at Madison Public Library.
Experience Life in Light and Shadow - artist Jerry Jordan's portrait paintings are on display in the Pinney Library Meeting Room from May through July.
Jerry is a productive artist working out of his studio in Madison, WI and is part of a growing movement of artists embracing classical representative painting. He counts such artists as John S. Sargent, William M. Chase and Joaquin Sorolla, to name a few, as his major artistic influences. He has been a UMOJA magazine cover artist and has exhibited his work at Overture as part of the "Justified Art!" show.
Madison Public Library Foundation's fifth annual Rock & Read fundraiser was an opportunity for families who are committed to our libraries to come together for a fun, sunny Father's Day afternoon to celebrate and support Madison Public Library's Summer Reading Program.
Rachael Duggan is RAD - literally, those are her initials. Rachal of RADIllustrates was The Bubbler’s artist-in-residence at the Central Library in February, drawing and doodling every nook and cranny of the library.
You can find her at Monroe Street Library this spring, where her illustration workshops continue to bring the joys of doodling to the Madison community.
Carpenter and coffin designer, Eric Adjetey Anang invites the public to learn a thing or two about woodworking, hand tools, and Ghana’s sacred tradition of building coffins. Anang held open studios throughout the month of April as part of his artist residency with the Bubbler at Madison Public Library. He's now hosting events at Pinney Library from May through July.
Anang is a Ghanian sculptor and fantasy coffin carpenter. He was born in Teshie, Ghana where he lives and runs Kane Kwei Carpentry Workshop. Anang took over the workshop after his grandfather passed away, determined to revive the business and preserve his family’s name. The coffins, known as abebuu adekai or “proverb boxes,” are functional pieces designed to reflect a person’s stature in the community, or their likes and interests.
The Racial Justice Film Series continues with "The House We Live In," the third and final installment of the PBS series "Race - The Power of an Illusion."
You already know the library works to promote early literacy. But did you know we've worked to build relationships with community partners to help bring those services to folks outside of the library, too?
In collaboration with Public Health of Madison & Dane County, the Parents as First Teachers program provides early literacy materials, training, and resources to public health staff to support conversations about the role parents play as their child’s first teacher, and the impact reading, singing, and playing has on child development.
Khurelbaatar and Erdentuya's first visit to Alicia Ashman Library was just over a year ago. The couple had recently moved to Madison from Mongolia and hoped to apply for asylum.
They were first greeted by one librarian who, having lived in Mongolia as a Peace Corps volunteer, offered up a traditional Mongolian greeting. The couple was pleasantly surprised to hear someone speaking their language, and staff were able to work with them to get the appropriate forms they would need to file. With each trip to the library, Khurelbaatar and Erdentuya's questions for staff seemed to reflect their growing success. Helping people feel safe and welcome goes a long way - and all of us at Madison Public Library are grateful for the opportunity to work together in supporting new members of our community.
