If you are indulging yourselves in a performance of the Nutcracker this season, make sure to stop in to the Downtown Youth Room and see the small collection of colorful Nutcrackers in the glass display case. Santa, a pirate, an artist, Robinhood and a royal nutcracker are awaiting your arrival.

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The creative energy in this community is mind-blowing, evidenced by the current exhibit at the Gallery Project. From 10/29 thru 12/7/08 take a look at Flash, an exhibition of original graphic art of tattoo culture worldwide. The artists include Jeff Zuck, Kerri Baker, Leo Zulueta,and Dianne Mansfield, all currently from Ann Arbor. Pssst.... Leo is world renowned and will be presenting in the MPR downtown in February 2009. Stay tuned!

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Have you been to the The Migrant Project exhibit on the 3rd floor of the Downtown Library? The photos show the stark reality of the toil California migrant workers face in their daily lives. Locally, The Neutral Zone will display the youth perspectives that embody life as a Migrant Farm Worker. The exhibit is from 2:00-3:30 this Sunday October 19. There will also be refreshments. Donations will be accepted.

2008 Graffiti Contest

Take a look at some of the best talent Ann Arbor has to offer! All of the entries to the AADL's 2008 LEGO Contest and the 2008 Graffiti Art Contest are now online as a part of our online photo gallery, pictureAnnArbor. The Graffiti Art Contest gallery features over 40 creations by local teen artists made right here in the AADL's backyard. And the LEGO Contest gallery features every one of the 130 entries that came in this year. Come check out your own work, your friends' work, or just get some inspiration for your own artistic creations.

Don't forget that the 2008 Graffiti Art Contest entries are also on display in the Downtown Library until August 28.

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Missing your neighborhood branch this June? Head over to UM’s Art, Architecture and Engineering Library in the Duderstadt Center on North Campus for a sneak peek at AADL’s new Traverwood Branch. Featuring photographs of the construction process and material samples from inside and outside the branch, the exhibit covers many fascinating aspects of the building’s design, such as the extensive incorporation of ash trees from the site. The exhibit is on display in the central atrium on the second floor of the Duderstadt Center, located just over a mile from the site of the new branch. Stop by and get ready for June 30!

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Looking to increase your visibility as an artist or an organization? AADL is currently accepting applications to exhibit at the Downtown Library from June 1 to July 20 in the Multi Purpose Room and 3rd Floor exhibition areas. AADL is always a busy place, and the summer is particularly exciting. Your work could be on display as thousands of children and their families sign up for our annual Summer Reading Game in June and would remain on display through the Art Fairs in late July. For more information, and to download an application to exhibit, visit our Exhibits page. The next application deadline is March 31st.

Make candy sushi, create Pokemon pals, play impromptu battles on your Nintendo DS or Game Boy Advance and revel in Pokemon glory. Bring your trading cards for some spontaneous trades.

Spend the beginning of your school break at Malletts Creek Branch on Monday, February 25th form 1-3 PM for a poke-fun good time!

It’s time for the annual Ann Arbor Art Walk! AADL is participating for the first time—Downtown we’ll be showcasing photographs from the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair: The Original as well as children’s books from the UM Special Collections Library. Malletts Creek is currently displaying photographs from France by Sandy Schopbach.

Art Walk runs Friday, October 19 from 5-9pm (5-10 at most locations; the Library closes at 9pm on weekdays), and Saturday, October 20 from 12-5pm. Stop by the Downtown Library or any participating location to pick up the yearlong guide to local art with a special insert for this weekend’s event and a map to follow while you pound the pavement!

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Art Prints are on display from the 5th Annual Teen Graffiti Art Contest, held on July 20th at the downtown library. 50 artists turned out on a windy art fair day to paint a spontaneous piece of art.
1st Place - Andrea Herrero - "Untitled"
2nd Place - Tyler Vane - "The Shadow of the Sun"
3rd Place - Mina Hirzel & Nika Olzewski - "Bunny's Honey"
Titles overall ranged from "An Alaskan Wilderness" to "Hope is Green" to "Inspired"

Come check out these works of art at the downtown Library's 3rd floor gallery space and in the Multi-Purpose Room. The exhibit will last until August 31st.

Thanks to Jerzy Drozd a local published graphic artist, who judged this year's contest.

The urgent humanitarian crisis in Sudan’s western region of Darfur is the subject of a photo exhibit opening Friday at AADL’s Mallet’s Creek branch. Sponsored by a number of church and temple groups, the exhibit showcases the photographs of native Michigander Ryan Spencer Reed and is called Hands of a Displaced Sudan: The Cost of Silence. The grand opening of the exhibit is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. Friday, May 4, when people will be able to meet the photographer and view the photographs he shot and smuggled out of Darfur. At AADL there are a number of good books about the Darfur crisis, including the new book The Devil Came on Horseback: Bearing witness to the genocide in Darfur by Brian Steidle.