Main Art Gallery

The Art Gallery at the Main library presents exhibitions that promote access to and stimulate interest in a wide variety of ideas. The gallery is open during the Main library’s regular hours. Admission to the gallery is free and the public is welcome to all events.

Current Exhibitions

Works with Words
March 15 – June 22, 2008
Main Library, First Floor Art Gallery

A juried show of Tennessee artists incorporating text and image. Artworks chosen for the exhibition represent a broad range of ways that text can be used in works of art.

The Wilson Limited Editions Collection Purchase Award Winner is "Green X," by Claudia Lee.

Works with Words Artists
Slideshow of Exhibition
Font Walk Map

Upcoming Exhibitions

Beyond the Page: Carol Barton’s Art and Influence
July 13 – August 31, 2008
Main Library, First Floor Art Gallery

Carol Barton is a book artist, teacher, and curator whose work is exhibited internationally and is in numerous collections, including the Library of Congress, the Museum of Modern Art, the Getty Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

We will display her beautiful handmade artist’s books in a show in our gallery and she will give workshops on pop-up structures and a public lecture about artist’s books.

Funding for the Art Gallery made possible by generous gifts to the Nashville Public Library Foundation.

Exhibition Policy
As an institution that serves all of Davidson County in its branches and main library, the Library will focus on presenting exhibitions that are either, but not limited to:

• related to the particular focus of the Library by highlighting the library’s collections, programs, and services;
• drawn from the Library’s collections and resources;
• specific to the Nashville area including but not limited to exhibitions which would stimulate interest in some aspect of its history;
• co-curated with other institutions, museums, art galleries, libraries and agencies to provide a thematic examination of a particular area of interest to the Library as described in its Mission Statement;
• curated by other institutions, as described above, agencies or individuals and are of the highest quality and provide examination or viewing of a particular area of interest to the Library as described in its Mission Statement.

Wilson Limited Editions Collection

The Wilson Limited Editions Collection was donated to the Nashville Public Library by local author and book collector Dr. Sadye Tune Wilson in 2001, through the Nashville Public Library Foundation.

The Limited Editions Collecion includes over 800 books, dating from 1929 to the present, most published by the Limited Editions Club and Arion Press, as well as separate portfolios of some of the fine artwork that illustrates many of the beautifully-bound books. Books and artwork from the collection are on display in the East Reading room at the Main Library during regular hours. Individual appointments to view materials not currently on display may be arranged by calling 862-5800.

Wilson Limited Editions digitized book covers

What is a Limited Edition book?

A limited edition book differs from regular books in that the publisher limits the printing to a specific number, typically fewer than 1,000 copies. Because the publisher is focusing on a smaller number of books, they can include artwork, high-quality paper, hand printing, and beautiful or unusual bindings. In some cases, the publisher will also print the same artwork from the books in editions of separate prints, suitable for framing. Often the author and the artist sign the books. Limited editions, not to be confused with first editions, allow the reader to enjoy the art of the book as well as the content.

About the Limited Editions Club

George Macy founded the Limited Editions Club in 1929 as a fine press book-of-the-month club. Publishing in New York City, the Limited Editions Club has never owned a press of its own. Instead, the books have been designed, illustrated, and produced by artisans in the United States, Europe, and Asia. In 1978, Sid Shiff bought the club, bringing more emphasis to the artistic value of the books. Over the years, such renowned artists as Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Betye Saar, Robert Motherwell, and Willem de Kooning have illustrated the club's books. Mr. Shiff has worked with talented modern writers, such as Octavio Paz and Seamus Heaney, who each had works published by the Limited Editions Club prior to receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature. In 1983, the Limited Editions Club began featuring great African-American artists and authors, including Jacob Lawrence, Derek Walcott, and Maya Angelou. It continues to publish beautiful, unique books and prints.

Viewing the Collection

Individual appointments to view materials not currently on display may be arranged by calling 862-5800.