Longmont Library to host virtual All Ages Art Expo

In February, the Longmont Library will be hosting a digital art expo for artists of all ages and experience levels to display their work. For artists interested in sharing their work, the library will be accepting submission through the end of January.

Teresa Myers, marketing and communications manager for the Longmont Public Library, hopes to see wide community participation from beginners to professionals."If anyone has created something that brought them joy in the process of creating it, we would love to see it," she said.

In light of the pandemic, librarian David Kling, who will be coordinating the expo, realized that many people in the community had been turning to art or finding new opportunities to craft and create. As people found themselves quarantining at home, some with more time on their hands than usual, many people turned to art for a fulfilling creative outlet.

"This idea really fed off that. David Kling conceived the idea and is executing the whole program. We are really focused on all the stories that we are hearing from people, particularly early in the pandemic, who were staying at home and filling their time with new things creatively," said Meyers.

Previously, the Longmont Library has hosted other in-person art displays, such as a series of self-portraits from Skyline High School students and a rotating display of quilts in the entry-way from artists in the local quilting community.

"We've done art exhibitions before. They were amazing, and we really got a lot of people coming through to see them," said Meyers.

Meyer's noted that though patrons of the library have expressed sadness at not being able to enjoy these usual displays, the library staff felt there was a distinct opportunity to reach and connect with the community in a digital format.

To submit art for exhibition, the library asks that artists send a picture or other image of their art. They are hoping to collect art of all mediums from drawing, painting, and photography to knitting, woodworking, pottery, and any other inventive or new media that creative artists have been experimenting with during the past year.

All submissions will be collected and combined into a family-friendly, all-ages digital art show, displayed online.

And if you don't yet have a piece you'd like to display, but might want to work on a project to submit, the library recently added a new online platform called Creativebug which has over 1,000 ad-free HD video classes, downloadable patterns, templates, recipes, and projects for all ages. Longmont Library members can access all this great information for free with their library card.

"It's a dedicated database for learning. Creativebug levels up the quality of the instruction you are going to get," said Meyers.

Though the library building remains closed to the public (with curbside delivery available), the staff is excited about the opportunity to connect artists and the community through this virtual offering.

"It also gives us a sense of what kind of art is out there within our community," said Meyers.

And while an in-person display might have been limited due to space, the online art expo can host as much artwork as the local community shares.

"I really hope that people contribute. It's really amazing how much people do want to see what their neighbors, friends, and community members have been up to and how supportive they are of each other during this time," said Meyers.

You can learn more about the expo and submit your own artwork online at https://www.longmontcolorado.gov/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/40188/1068