One spot culture!

Portland Public Library is the city's cultural center serving 666,000 visitors annually at four locations through a unique combination of print, media and digital resources complemented by robust internet access, lectures, classes, exhibits, programs and performances for all ages.

Yesterday and today are prime examples of what that statement means.

Last night approximately 200 people attended Maine Poet Laureate Wes McNair’s launch of his memoir The Words I Chose: A memoir of family and poetry at a special Brown Bag Lecture in the Rines Auditorium.  Tonight’s First Friday Art Walk looks to repeat the December Friday Art Walk, which welcomed over 1,000 people to see the Edward Gorey exhibit Elegant Enigmas and hear electronica music (Algorithm) and dance (Portland Ballet), both inspired by Gorey’s art work. Add to those events the annual Four Freedoms poster project by King Middle School students and well, you get the picture.  

At PPL this evening, February 1st at 6:30 PM, you can hear Tom Allen, our former congressman, launch his new book Dangerous Convictions: What’s Really Wrong With the US Congress, see the Prints: Breaking Boundaries exhibit and get a dose of Shakespeare in our Atrium at 6:00 PM through the interpretation of the Naked Shakespeare troupe.  (Check out our website for more information!)

Nothing quite like it so please come by for a taste of it all.

Art Everywhere

I have recently returned from a 4 month sabbatical, the intent of which was to get some perspective as to the future of Portland Public Library.  I interviewed colleagues in various parts of the country, sat, thought and read all kinds of things.  One of my major areas of investigation involved creativity.  I have come to the strong conclusion that, in going forward, the major asset required in employees and to be expressed organizationally is creativity.  You need starting points of curiosity and intelligence, both individually and organizationally, but I think you also need to make it possible for people to be creative by caring about the physical work environment and having the right structure.

When I returned from my time away, the first thing that I appreciated was the quality of the Main Library and the building as a whole.  On Friday May 4th, Alice Spencer of the City’s Public Art Committee gave a talk on the Little Water Girl, a public art work featured prominently in the Library.  By early June it will have been seen by one million visitors since the reopening in April 2010.  And even more special was the award received by our architects, Scott Simons and Associates, on Monday, May 7.   At the Maine Chapter of the American Institute of Architects biennial awards ceremony, held at the Portland Museum of Art, the Library received one of three Honor Awards and was the only non residential structure to be so honored.

http://aiamaine.org/awards2012/2012-award-winners/

It is good to be back.