Ride with the Mongols and the Khans as they conquer their vast empires.
Known for his brutal military campaigns, Genghis Khan (c.1162–1227) is also credited with opening communication and trade along the Silk Road, facilitating the spread of culture and new technologies within Asia and between Asia and Europe. He and his descendants came to dominate the largest land empire in history. The history of the Khans will be told using objects from the Asian Art Museum’s collection. Come and see how his legacy continued to influence history for over 800 hundred years.
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the Musée d’Orsay, Paris are co-organizing James Tissot: Fashion & Faith, the first major reassessment of the artist’s career in over 20 years. At San Francisco’s Legion of Honor Museum (10/12/19-2/9/20), this international retrospective will examine approximately 60 paintings, additional works on paper, and cloisonné enamels by Tissot. Exhibition highlights are drawn from the permanent collections of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, including Tissot’s Self Portrait (ca. 1865) as well as prints and photographs from the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts. New scholarship on the artist presented in this collaboration demonstrates that even Tissot’s most ebullient society paintings reveal rich and complex commentary on topics such as nineteenth-century society, religion, fashion, and politics, rendering him an artist worthy of reexamination in the twenty-first century.
Utopia is Everywhere.
Many artists have sought a place to commune, create, and craft outside the convention and strictures of society. They have set up dozens of artist communities, some utopian, some dystopian, from 19th century American utopian experiments to 20th century enclaves like Arcosanti and, of course, Burning Man. What have they achieved? What goals do they serve? Come find out.
Independent Docent Speaker: Avril Angevine
This talk coincides with the Art of Burning Man exhibit at the Oakland Museum, 10/12/2019 – 2/16/2020.
We will be having Patio Sales in our garden in front of Friends Books each Friday and Saturday in August during our usual open hours of 10:00 to 4:00.
Each sale will offer fiction for summer reading, an extensive collection of both popular and classical CDs, plus a different theme each week: cooking, gardening, sports, travel and so on.
Those interested may call Friends Books at 415-453-1443 for that week’s theme.
In addition, the store will be participating in the city’s Summer Sidewalk Sale on Saturday, August 24th, 11:00 to 5:00.
Join us for National Night Out at Pickleweed in collaboration with Community Services, Police and Fire Departments of the City of San Rafael. This community celebration marks the end of our 2019 Summer Reading Challenge. Enjoy a warm summer night outside at Pickleweed BBQ Area adjacent to the library. Festivities include a family Zumba Class at 5:30PM, visits from San Rafael Fire and Police Department, a small concert from members of Enriching Lives with Music ELM, BBQ and food for all, music and games. Come to get your prizes for participating in our Summer Reading Challenge!
In this demonstration led by artist Gary Francis, students will learn the basics of traditional cartooning. Students will learn how to draw a cartoon head using basic shapes, as well as how to construct smaller shapes and facial features onto the larger head shape.
We will be using techniques that hand drawn animators and cartoonists from the past used, which don’t get taught too often these days. Little known tips and tricks for checking your work and improving your drawings will also be revealed.
Please join us for this fun, educational cartooning demo, it’ll be a blast!
Tinker away on Tinkercad, a free online 3D modeling software. All levels welcome– teach and learn from your peers. Everyone will walk away having designed a 3D object, whether it’s a personalized key chain or a dice tower to impress your D&D crew.
Best of all, the library will print your design on our 3D printer!
Introduction to the UC Personal Insight, Common App and “Why Us?” Essays.
Learn how to choose relevant insight questions to showcase unique life stories: the experiences, interests, achievements and inspirations that best reflect them.
Paula Nichols helps students create engaging narrative in meaningful college personal statements that illustrate talents, demonstrate how they think, and help colleges get to know them better! With 12 years of experience assisting high school students, let her help you “Reflect, Focus, and Express!
This is a free information session for teens in high school (parents too). It is located at the City Hall Council Chambers (next door to the library).
We will work with the poetry of Thich Nhat Hanh, Mary Oliver, Wendell Berry and Denise Levertov. The writing exercises we will use are designed to help you reflect on your connection to the natural world and explore the ways that nature teaches, heals and inspires you.
Susanne West is a writer and professor of psychology. She was on the faculty of John F. Kennedy University for 30 years and received the Harry L. Morrison Distinguished Teaching Award at JFKU. Susanne is the author of Soul Care for Caregivers. Her first poetry collection, Subterranean Light, will be released in 2019.
We will explore writing as a transformational tool to help you access your inner wisdom. You will learn a variety of processes and have numerous opportunities to bring your life questions to this boundless source of knowing and guidance within you.
Susanne West is a writer and professor of psychology. She was on the faculty of John F. Kennedy University for 30 years and received the Harry L. Morrison Distinguished Teaching Award at JFKU. Susanne is the author of Soul Care for Caregivers. Her first poetry collection, Subterranean Light, will be released in 2019.
