Jefferson Market Library Arts Programming

By Corinne Neary, Senior Adult Librarian

The Arts are often at the center of it all in the Village and the programming at Jefferson Market Library is no exception. This May, we will be reaping the rewards of the hours of hard work our patrons have been putting in through our watercolor and choir programs. Check out these two culminating events.

WATERCOLOR AND THE CITY: Jefferson Market Library watercolor art by instructor Nick Golebiewski.

First, on May 4th at 3:30 p.m., the participants in our “Watercolor and the City” course will be showing off what they learned from instructor Nick Golebiewski with an exhibit titled The Nature Of New York. These students gathered together on five consecutive Saturdays and then spent a few weeks working solo on their pieces to display at the exhibit. The inspirations for the work in the show, as you may guess from the title, will include life in the city and the nature around us. Nick, the class instructor, is a frequent collaborator with the Jefferson Market and Hudson Park Libraries and has painted all of the NYPL branch libraries in lower Manhattan! His “Nick’s Lunchbox Service’’ drawing-a-day project hasn’t missed a day in over a decade. It’s posted daily on Instagram (instagram.com/nickgolebiewski) and has been shared by the Whitney, Met Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, Jewish Museum and the National Park Service.

Up next in artistic celebrations is the performance of our Adult Community Choir program, which we’ve been lucky to host under the expert leadership of the Third Street Music School Settlement. Participants have been meeting weekly on Fridays since the beginning of March and will perform on May 17th for the public, around 12 p.m. These singers, some of whom began as complete novices, have learned so much already and built such comradery together, that the recital is not to be missed. Led by teaching artist Tahira Clayton, a wildly talented jazz vocalist, and accompanist Brandon Tesh, the group is building a repertoire to perform together. If you haven’t heard of Third Street Music School, you should find out more about them. They have been around since 1894, and are actually now located on Eleventh Street, after moving from their original location. They provide high-quality music and dance education through on-site, public-school and community programs, as well as an arts-infused preschool, to New Yorkers of all ages, regardless of background, artistic ability or economic circumstance.

Both events will be held in our first floor Willa Cather room, and light refreshments will be served. Please join us and bring a friend!