Street art has a contentious history: some see these public works of art as “interventions” into the fabric of a city, celebrating the reclamation of public spaces, while others see these unsanctioned works as vandalism. In this lecture, I will address prominent street artists, with a focus on the notorious British artist Banksy. We will explore the functions of and various approaches to understanding street art — critically thinking about whether it is an aesthetically driven activity or a method of raising awareness for social and/or political issues. The discussion will focus primarily on England’s street art scene, where Banksy has been most prolific, but the lecture will take us from the streets of London to the West Bank Barrier of the Israeli-Palestinian border to America’s epicenter for street art, New York City.

Presented by Kristin Brockman of The Ohio State University’s Department of Art History.

Help a younger student entering grades 1-3 with their reading during this 5-week series! Do reading activities and coach them as they read to you. We meet each Monday, June 10-July 15 from 2-3p.m., with training on the first day. Teens must commit to 3 of the 5 weeks. An application must be given to the Youth Department to register. Registration ends May 30 or after we have 50 teens. (Grades 6-12)

For ages 2-7. Get ready for a magical treasure hunt during this fast-paced comedy magic. Using the book Who Stole the Gold by Udo Weigelt for inspiration, Erica and her pirate crew will go on a fun adventure to uncover magical buried treasure! Free tickets are required and can be picked up at the Youth Services Desk beginning June 29.2013.
Related Reading: Don’t Mention Pirates by Sarah McConnell
Join Erica Carlson for “Diggin’ For Magic”.

Got fines? Got food? The UAPL will waive $1.00 of your fines for every nonperishable food item that you donate to the Mid-Ohio Food Bank up to a total of $10. Drop off your nonperishables anytime between 12:30 and 4:30 p.m. in meeting room A and receive a coupon to remove your existing fines.

Don’t have any fines but want to donate anyway? Bring your food items to us and we’ll be glad to get them delivered for you.