Current Exhibitions
Upcoming Events
At the Central Library
Interested in proposing an exhibition for the Central Library's Gallery J space? View our Exhibition guidelines.
Central Library in Copley Square (Special Collections Department)
The year 2024 marks two significant anniversaries relating to Serge Koussevitzky (1874–1951): the 150th anniversary of his birth and the centennial of his appointment as the ninth conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Koussevitzky’s arrival in Boston in 1924 heralded the start of a twenty-five-year tenure that would forever transform both the orchestra he conducted and the state of contemporary classical music in the United States. This display showcases Koussevitzky’s life in Boston and his lasting impact on the world of music.
Central Library in Copley Square, Leventhal Map & Education Center
September 13, 2024 - March 15, 2025
Today, the maps that show up most often in our everyday lives—from walking directions on your phone to hourly weather maps—are made by computers. Even the simplest of these rely on vast databases of geographic information and complex systems of analysis and visualization. In our newest exhibition, Processing Place: How Computers and Cartographers Redrew our World, we look at how computers and cartography have fused together over the past century—and how they redrew our world in the process.
From September 13, 2024 through February 2025, we invite you visit our gallery to learn how the computer became a cartographer.
Processing Place is curated by Leventhal Center staff members Ian Spangler, Assistant Curator of Digital & Participatory Geography, and Emily Bowe, Assistant Director.
Free to all visitors. Closed Mondays. For open hours, visit the Map Center's website.
The 50th Anniversary of Boston Desegregation and Busing: A Timeline
Central Library in Copley Square (Gallery J)
September 19, 2024 - January 7, 2025
2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the 1974 court decision to desegregate the Boston Public Schools, but the story of school desegregation goes well beyond Judge Garrity’s ruling. Using archival materials from several Boston-area institutions, historian Jim Vrabel has curated an exhibit documenting the long, rich history of school desegregation in Boston, stretching from 1635 to 2024.
The timeline uses materials from: Northeastern University’s Archives and Special Collections; City of Boston Archives; Suffolk University Moakley Archive and Institute; University of Massachusetts Boston University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library; Burns Library at Boston College; and the Schlesinger Library.
Teen Central Permanent Rotating Exhibit
Central Library in Copley Square (Teen Central)
This exhibition is in partnership with the Department of Youth Services (DYS) and the DYS Art Showcase program.
Since 2008, the BPL and DYS Metro Region staff have partnered to facilitate monthly library visits to DYS Metro.
This presentation of artwork represents a selection of the work from the annual DYS Art Showcase, which highlights and promotes the talents of young people from across Massachusetts. Each year, BPL Youth Services will select and purchase art from the Art Showcase for display in a permanent, rotating collection at Teen Central. The BPL is proud to support these artists and all at DYS.
For more information, please contact BPL Teen Outreach Librarian Maty Cropley at mcropley@bpl.org.
At the Branch Libraries
Sweet Spot: An Interactive Light Sculpture by Michael Berthaud
Roxbury Branch Library
December 7, 2024 - January 31, 2025
Sweet Spot is an interactive light sculpture featuring an acrylic mannequin with an LED-lit interior and a responsive display. You can place the basketball or microphone box onto the podium to see how the display changes inside the mannequin. This piece draws from the artist's experiences growing up in Boston and observing how society often frames success for black youth.
Symbols such as a basketball or a microphone represent stereotypical career pathways widely advertised in media. This artwork seeks to explore how these narrow symbols of achievement often overshadow the many facets of curiosity that exist within today's black youth.
This work was resourced and supported by the Boston Public Art Triennial's Accelerator Program.
Katrine Burkitt & Sarah Trainer: Friendly Faces
Jamaica Plain Branch Library
November 14, 2024 - January 8, 2025
The Jamaica Plain Branch Library, in partnership with The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library and Uforge, is excited to present the final exhibit of its 2024 annual rotating art program. The exhibit showcases the work of two talented local artists from Jamaica Plain, Katrine Burkitt and Sarah Trainer, featuring their collection titled "Friendly Faces."
Step into the vibrant world of portraiture with “Friendly Faces,” an exciting exhibition featuring the work of Jamaica Plain artists Sarah Trainer and Katrine Burkitt. Both artists have dedicated themselves to the art of portrait painting, choosing to capture the essence of those they know and love, rather than working on commissioned pieces.
Burkitt brings a fresh, immediate approach to her work, painting her sitters from life. She paints alla prima, a technique where wet paint is applied to wet paint, usually in one sitting, before the first layer dries. The term is Italian for "at first attempt." In contrast, Sarah Trainer often begins her process with drawings, later using photography as a reference to craft her portraits over many sessions.
This exhibit is a celebration of both their similarities and differences as artists. Living at opposite ends of Jamaica Plain, these two women share a passion for portraiture and an affinity for portraying friends and family. Yet, their distinctive styles and techniques create a rich dialogue within the artwork. “Friendly Faces” invites viewers to explore the connections that unite us, while also appreciating the unique perspectives that emerge from individual artistic journeys. Join us for this heartfelt celebration of community and creativity!
Friendly Faces is on view from November 14, 2024-January 8, 2025, with a public reception to be held on Thursday, November 14, 2024, 5:30-7:30 PM.
The exhibition space is located on the lower level.
More information about each artist and their work is available on the website for Sarah Trainer, opens a new window and the website for Katrine Burkitt, opens a new window. Additional information is also available on the Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library website, opens a new window.
Images International by Don West
Hyde Park Branch Library
November 16, 2024 - December 31, 2024
Artists-at-Large is pleased to announce that photographer Don West will be on exhibit at the Hyde Park Branch Library. Featuring photographs from Cuba, Israel, France and China, the work of Don West honors our global diversity and individual histories. A storyteller at heart, West writes; "Let us tell of a people's history through shared stories, song, and visual memories." Photographs are the means by which West shares these stories with the world, celebrating exemplary leaders –– both unsung and internationally renowned –– and promoting social justice and shared understanding.
Presented by Artists-at-Large, Images International by Don West will be on display from November 16 to December 31, 2024.
There will be a reception for the artist on Saturday, November 16, 2024 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm.
Artist's Statement:
Don West grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts, attended Brookline High School and studied math at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. In the 1960s, West studied with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and was a professional bass guitarist. He taught transcendental meditation in Detroit, Michigan throughout the 1970s.
West began his career as a freelance and news photographer working for United Press International (UPI) and the Bay State Banner, Boston's black weekly paper. He has since gone on to a host of photojournalistic assignments that have taken him throughout the United States, Latin America, Africa, China, Europe and the Middle East.
He is particularly proud to have served as Nelson Mandela's photographer when he first visited Boston after release from prison, in South Africa; the official photographer for Mel King's historic "Rainbow Coalition" Mayoral campaign; and to be called upon to cover special events of Barack Obama's Presidential campaign in New England.
West is a member of numerous organizations, including: National Press Photographers, Boston Press Photographers and National Association of Black Journalists and is a Resident Artist in the African American Master Artists-in-Residence Program at Northeastern University in Boston. In 2012, West founded Blackwire News Service, a wire service for people of color worldwide.
Proceeds of sales to benefit Central Boston Elder Services. For more information on Don West, visit: http://donwestfoto.com/
Dale Savit — Photography and Painting: Crossing Over
West Roxbury Branch Library
November 4, 2024 - December 20, 2024
"This show has special significance for me as it is the first time I have shown my photos and paintings together to illustrate their interplay. My interests in the photos involve composition, texture, and color. Being able to easily manipulate scale and scope allows me to explore what works for my artistic senses. The translation from the photos to paintings allows me to emphasize what catches my eye and how I see the interactions of objects in nature. It is me trying to add the emotional content that photos themselves generally don't do. I hope you enjoy the results."
Dale Savit began his artistic journey doing a jewelry apprenticeship in his hometown of Chicago. That experience ignited more interest in art leading to his attending the School of the Museum of Fine Art where he earned multiple degrees. His main interest there turned from small metal works to larger steel and ceramic sculptures. Dale next earned a master's degree from the Maryland Institute, College of Art for sculpture and drawing. His recent works have moved from completely abstract images to more recognizable landscape motifs. He travels extensively out west, taking photographs there and in the Arnold Arboretum to translate into paintings and drawings in his Jamacia Plain studio.
