Join us on Thursday, May 20th for a virtual walking tour of The Audubon Mural Project.

The Audubon Mural Project, sponsored in part by the National Audubon Society, is an impressive effort to create murals of over 300 North American birds. Most of the murals are in the Harlem neighborhoods of Hamilton Heights and Washington Heights, where John James Audubon lived the last ten years of his life. All of the birds painted are threatened by climate change. So the Project is designed not only to display the birds’ beauty, but also to make us aware of the challenges that they face. The artworks range from lovely panels that fill in a former window to spectacular murals covering the entire side of a building. We will see over 40 murals, plus Audubon’s grave site, in a 50-minute slide presentation with live commentary. There will be time afterwards for Q&A. 

Leigh Hallingby is a licensed New York City tour guide who specializes in Harlem, Morningside Heights, and the Upper West Side. She is passionate about exploring all five NYC boroughs and beyond on foot, mostly through organized walking tours. Leigh is retired from a 36-year career as a non-profit librarian. She loves doing research about the neighborhoods in which she gives tours and sharing the information about them with attendees. Leigh is a feminist, collector, genealogist, and lover of arts, culture, and travel. After residing in the suburbs of NYC for many years, she now loves living on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. 

For the month of April, the Dennis P. McHugh Piermont Public Library presents Jessica Bowen: Animality.   Please visit the “Artist of the Month” tab on our homepage.  

Artist statement: When photographing animals, I like to capture closeup details and textures that are not always visible from a distance. I also try to capture expressions and behaviors the observer can recognize. My aim is not to anthropomorphize my subjects, rather to capture the basic animal drives to which we as humans can relate—tired, hungry, thirsty, etc. This collection of animal portraits was taken over the course of several years at various locations. Some were photographed at home, in a backyard or through a window. Others were photographed at locations such as the Bronx Zoo, Lakota Wolf Preserve, Bergen County Zoo, Bear Mountain Zoo, Turtleback Zoo, and more. A portion of the proceeds from this show will be donated to Piermont Public Library, and a portion will be donated to animal conservation and preservation.

Jessica Bowen is an amateur photographer and full-time Library Director. Formerly a staff member at the Dennis P. McHugh Piermont Public Library, she is always honored to be included in the community of local artists featured at the library.

Join Ms. Nancu on Thursday, April 15th, at 6:00 pm for our She Persisted Book Club for Grades 1 – 3! This month we are reading about Sally Ride! Details and registration on our events calendar. A free copy of the book is included for each participant!

Join us for an Adult Craft Class in which we will create some beautiful cherry blossom branches for spring!  We will look at the theme of cherry blossoms in art from Japanese printmakers through the Impressionists and then create some of our own.  We will provide you with tissue paper and inspiration images and some Japanese treats!  You will also need a couple of (real) branches, scissors and liquid glue or glue gun.  

Join us for two programs in April!

On April 6th at 7:00 pm, we’re offering Homesteading Skills: Garden Organizing. The first steps in gardening are being organized and having a plan. Once you have a way to be organized and keep track of your garden, then it’s time to get your hands dirty. But where do you start? How do you get organized and keep records? Join Kristin White, aka Chicken Librarian, to find out! She’ll share her garden organization tips and tricks on how she’s maintained her garden for several years.

Then on April 13th at 7:00, we are offering Homesteading Skills: Making Beeswax Food Covers. Have you wanted to ditch plastic but still use plastic wrap? Have you thought about making your own food covers but don’t know where to start? Join Kristin White, aka Chicken Librarian, as she shows you how to make your own food covers, where to purchase supplies, and how to get started with ditching the plastic wrap once and for all.