Most checked out 2018 titles in the Art, Music & Recreation Center

The most popular 2018 books in the Art, Music & Recreation are an eclectic mix that show a diversity of subject matter and reading interests.

The top book of the year is a biography of the Bay Area's own Robin Williams.  A more surprising title is Why Art? by Eleanor Davis, an illustrated exploration of creativity and the creative process.  It's less of a surprise that actress Sally Field's memoir In Pieces has quite a readership, but All The Answers, a graphic memoir about the author, Michael Kupperman's father is not an obvious favorite.

The sheet music from film soundtracks is frequently popular and the songs from The Greatest Showman are currently in demand.  Our borrowers also find photographer Berenice Abbott's life story compelling. Astral Weeks commemorates the 50th anniversary of Van Morrison's legendary album, placing it within the context of its times.

Embroidery seems like the hot craft these days; Fashion Embroidery combines this art with the elegance of high fashion.  All The Pieces Matter is an oral history of The Wire, a powerful television drama from the early 2000s.  There is obviously local interest in Nathan Turner's I Love California, a book that mixes interior decoration, entertaining and recipes covering the length and breadth of the state.

Of course, there are more recent books that have not had time build up a large number of circulations.  (A couple of books from later in the year that are doing well include Mary Beard's new title How Do We Look and Ninth Street Women, a study of five important book overlooked New York artists of the Abstract Expressionism movement). This cross-section of titles is not exactly a best-seller list but it does reflect a range of our public's interests

1. Robin by Dave Itzkoff (Henry Holt and Company, 2018).

2. Why Art? by Eleanor Davis (Fantagraphics Books, 2018).

3. In Pieces: A Memoir by Sally Field (Grand Central Publishing, 2018).

4. All The Answers by Michael Kupperman (Gallery 13, 2018).

5. The Greatest Showman: Music from The Motion Picture Soundtrack / original songs by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul (Hal Leonard Corporation, 2018)

6. Berenice Abbott: A Life in Photography by Julia Van Haaften. (W.W. Norton & Company, 2018).

7. Astral Weeks: A Secret History of 1968 by Ryan H. Walsh (Penguin Press, 2018).

8. Fashion Embroidery: Embroidery Techniques and Inspiration for Haute-Couture Clothing by Jessica Jane Pile (Batsford, 2018).

9. All the Pieces Matter: The Inside Story of The Wire by Jonathan Abrams (Crown Archetype, 2018).

10. Nathan Turner's I Love California: Live, Eat, and Entertain the West Coast Way with Kerstin Czarra (Abrams, 2018).

Later titles:

How Do We Look?: The Body, the Divine, and the Question of Civilization by Mary Beard (Liveright Publishing Corporation, 2018).

Ninth Street Women: Lee Krasner, Elaine de Kooning, Grace Hartigan, Joan Mitchell, and Helen Frankenthaler: Five Painters and the Movement that Changed Modern Art by Mary Gabriel (Little, Brown and Company, 2018).

"Quotation Marks"

There is a new exhibit to see in the Art, Music and Recreation Center!

When:

Saturday, 11/07/15 - Thursday, 1/28/16

Where:

Art, Music & Recreation Center
Main Library
100 Larkin St.
SF, CA 94102

"Quotation Marks"

The members of Plexus Art Group make art that sheds light on social and political issues.  Their goals are multifaceted in that they hope to heighten the value of books, stories and words to the patrons of the library, as well as show that art, inspired by books and quotes, can highlight important social issues, such as literacy.  Art-inspired quotes can stimulate new ideas and creative thinking for all ages.

This show, "Quotation Marks", was approached from two different, but related angles: Each member chose an individual quote and created an artwork inspired by it.  Additionally, using one particular quote as inspiration, "BOOKS ARE A UNIQUELY PORTABLE MAGIC" by Stephen King, each artist picked a specific book about which they made a  12"x12" art piece.  Utilizing a multiplicity of techniques and materials, including thread, fabric, wire, paper, re-purposed objects, photographs, etc, they create two and three-dimensional artwork, reflecting varying interpretations from personal to metaphoric.

The group was formed 7 years ago and all of its members reside in the Bay Area.

Dirty Laundry

Pamela Leith

Vintage tablecloth and napkins, embroidery, metal plates

"Who has the highest incarceration rate?  America."

The Days of Yay are Here!  Wake Me Up When They're Over"  by Jared Kintz

Forever Free  

Juline Beier

Thread, wire, paper, beeswax and found objects

"Once you learn to read, you are forever free."   Frederick Douglass

Books from the San Francisco Public Library you may enjoy:

Adventures in mixed media : collage, stitch, fuse, and journal your way to a more creative life / Jane Davies. 

Art journal art journey : collage and storytelling for honoring your creative process / artist, Nichole Rae.

The art of whimsical lettering / Joanne Sharpe.

An artist once said : an inspiration book / Hannah Rollings.

An artist's book of inspiration : a collection of thoughts on art, artists, and creativity / compiled and edited by Astrid Fitzgerald.

The cloth paper scissors book : techniques and inspiration for creating mixed-media art / [edited by] Barbara Delaney.

Creative lettering and beyond : inspiring tips, techniques, and ideas for hand-lettering your way to beautiful works of art / Gabri Joy Kirkendall, Laura Lavender, Julie Manwaring, Shauna Lynn Panczyszyn.

Journal fodder 365 : daily doses of inspiration for the art addict / by Eric M. Scott and David R. Modler.

Lutradur and the new fibers : creating mixed-media art with spunbonded materials / Wendy Cotterill.

From the Library's Files: Ruth Asawa's Bakers-Clay Recipe

One of Ruth Asawa's passions was to make the activity of art accessible to all. This philosophy was developed while she raised her own children.  As Sally  B. Woodbridge has written:

As the mother of six children she was always interested in ways to keep small hands busy.  One of the more successful of these was making things with a kind of inedible dough she later called "baker's clay."

While sculpted clay must be placed in a kiln and fired at very high temperatures, baker-clay can be "fired" in an ordinary home oven.  Her recipe, however, also has an extra step of applying lacquer or varnish because flour and salt both react over time to air.

During her exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Art in 1973, she organized a "dough-in" for the opening.  She prepared "giant batches" of her bakers' clay and supervised 400 participants in creating their own sculptures which she included in her exhibition, and subsequently returned to their creators.

While this technique has proven popular with parents, educator's and children, Asawa also applied it to her own work.  The most famous manifestation of this is her San Francisco Fountain where the detailed images are cast from this modest medium.

There is more detailed information about Baker's Clay on Ruth Asawa's webpage.

San Francisco Public Library Vertical File

Education Department
San Francisco Museum of Art
Van Ness at McAllister
San Francisco, California

Ruth Asawa's Bakers-Clay Recipe:

For those who would like to make bakers-clay sculpture the following recipe is provided:

4 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons dry tempera paint (optional for color)

1. Mix flour, salt and tempera color (optional) together; add water and mix.
2. Knead dough for four or five minutes for smooth consistency.
3. Make sculpture.
4. Insert paper clip or beer-can pull-top to act as hanger if the sculpture is to be suspended.
5. Bake sculpture in 300 to 350 degree oven for about one hour or until very hard.
6. After it has cooled, spray sculpture with clear lacquer or brush on a clear plastic varnish such as Varathene.  Let dry in clean dustless space.

Bakers lay can be stored in well sealed plastic bags kept in the refrigerator for as long as 24 hours.  For best consistency, however, clay dough should be freshly made just before sculpting.


References:

"Ruth Asawa: A Retrospective View" (press release, June 25, 1973) in Ruth Asawa [Artists file], San Francisco Public Library, Art Music and Recreation Center.

Ruth Asawa's San Francisco Fountain by Sally B. Woodbridge (San Francisco Museum of Art?, 1973).

June Crafternoon – Origami for Spring

Origami is the Japanese word for paper folding. "Ori" means to fold and "kami" means paper. Origami is the creation of paper forms made entirely by folding without glue or other adhesives. Animals, birds, fish, geometric shapes, puppets, toys and masks are among the most common models.

Join us this Saturday, June 1st for the last program in the Crafternoon series. Origami artist, Shinta Arifin, will be here to teach paper folding enthusiasts of every level how to make spring flowers such as lilies and tulips as well as birds, little boxes, and other colorful favorites.

No experience is needed and paper will be provided. Please contact the Art, Music, and Recreation Department to sign up at 415-557-4521 or register in person as space is limited.

Saturday, June 1st 2-3:30 pm
Sycip Conference Room, Main Library, 4th floor

Pop-up Cards for Mother's Day - May 4, 2013

As part of the Good Crafternoon series, the Art and Music Center is presenting a workshop on how to make pop –up cards for Mother’s Day this Saturday, May 4 at 2:00pm.

There will be a variety of engravings to use featuring mothers and children from the Etching and Engraving Picture File, card stock and an assortment of colorful papers to use for pop-up flowers. We’ll also have a selection of books on pop-up cards, if participants would like to work on their own design.

This event will be held in the Sycip Conference Room on the 4th floor of the Main Library.  All Library programs are free and open to the public.

Embroidery 101: It's Not Just For Pillowcases Anymore!

The first Saturday of each month from February through June, the Art, Music and Recreation Center will present a series of hands-on craft events called Good Crafternoon.

Our March 2nd Crafternoon program will be “Embroidery 101: It’s Not Just for Pillowcases Anymore!” in the Sycip Conference room on the 4th floor of the Main Library.

Samples of embroidery go back to ancient times -- some date back to the 3rd century BCE.  Yet this craft is more popular today than ever. Freeform embroidery makes the plain and practical into something creative and colorful.   Embroidery is a fun, inexpensive, portable craft. It is easy to learn, but offers an infinite variety of projects and skill levels. From covering a hole in your favorite jeans to reproducing the Bayeux Tapestries, embroidery is a wonderful way to express your creativity.

In class you will learn how to choose the right tools and materials, where to find designs and inspiration, and how to transfer your designs to your fabric. We will practice the seven most commonly used stitches and apply them in class. You will be able to choose one individual project to take home. The projects are a framable sampler of the stitches you’ve learned, an embroidered covered button, a bookmark or a coffee cup cozy. The fabrics are white cotton, natural linen, or navy blue wool felt. You may also bring a project from home.

All of our Crafternoon programs are limited to 12 participants, so that everyone can get plenty of hands-on attention. In order to guarantee a spot please register ahead of time by calling (415) 557-4525 or emailing our department at artmusicrec@sfpl.org.

SFPL also has a great collection of embroidery books with thousands of inspiring projects. You will find them on the Fourth Floor in call numbers 746.44 – 746.446.

Knit Happens 2013 - Knitting and Crochet Club at the S.F. Main Library

image source: janrocrochet Flickr page

Want to hang out with other knitters and crocheters? Knit Happens is a big, all ages (9 to 103) knit and crochet gathering! The library has supplies to practice on but bring your own yarn and needles or hooks if you have a special project in mind. In general, we meet the third Saturday of each month from 2-4pm in the Latino Hispanic Meeting Room B on the Lower Level.

Our first meeting of the new year is this Saturday, January 19, 2013.

For information call the Art, Music & Recreation Center at 415-557-4525.


Here are some hot new knitting and crocheting titles to check out:

Knit In a Day for Baby: 20 Quick and Easy Projects by Candi Jensen (Leisure Arts 2012).

Knitting The Perfect Fit: Essential Fully Fashioned Shaping Techniques For Designer Results by Melissa Leapman (Potter Craft 2012).

75 Seashells, Fish, Coral and Colorful Marine Life to Knit And Crochet by Jessica Polk (St. Martin’s Griffin 2012).

Circular Knitting Workshop: Essential Techniques To Master Knitting In The Round by Margaret Radcliffe (Storey Pub 2012).

Crochet Saved My Life: The Mental and Physical Health Benefits of Crochet by Kathryn Vercillo (Createspace 2012).

Spinning and Weaving Demonstration, Sunday, January 13, 2013

Spinning and Weaving Demonstration
Sunday, January 13, 2013, 2-4 PM
Main Library, Lower Level, Latino Hispanic Room B

Were you ever curious about the process of how yarn is created starting with the shearing of sheep to the point when the wool is prepared for spinning? Want to see how fabric is created by interlacing yarn or threads on a loom? Come down to the Main Library this Sunday for a demonstration from Spindles and Flyers Spinning Guild, a Bay Area group. Members of the guild will showcase of number of different types of spinning mechanisms (drop spindle, wheels of various configurations and Indian sytle charkha), and a couple types of looms. They will be available to answer any questions and have valuable resources on how to get involved in spinning and weaving in your community.

The library also has a collection of books on spinning and weaving that you can check out, here are some highlights:

The Complete Guide to Spinning Yarn: Techniques, Projects, and Recipes by Brenda Gibson (St. Martin’s, 2012).

Hand Spinning and Natural Dyeing by Claire Boley (Good Life Press, 2011).

Color and Texture in Weaving: 150 Contemporary Designs by Margo Selby (Interweave, 2011).

Weaving Made Easy: 17 Projects Using a Simple Loom by Liz Gipson (Interweave, 2008).


This program is co-sponsored by the Spindles and Flyers Spinning Guild.  All programs at the Library are free and open to the public.

Craft Resources At The Library - Brown Bag Lecture

Get Crafty! Save Money! Be Green!

Do you love to knit, sew, scrapbook? Want to make your own gifts this holiday season and throughout the year? It saves money and you can transform things you already have around the house. Bring your lunch and join us for this inspiring class where you'll learn about the library’s collection of craft books and magazines, and some surprising projects found within their pages.

This lunchtime Brown Bag Lecture will happen on Monday, September 12, 2011 from 12-1 PM in the Latino / Hispanic Community Meeting Room on the Lower Level of the Main Library.