Lewis & Clark Branch. Photo by Kara Smith.
St. Louis County Library director and CEO Kristen Sorth was at the library system’s Lewis and Clark branch recently when she heard a man say to his wife, “I had no idea the library could be this fun.”
The couple was there to use the library’s computers, and the branch was hosting its first Kranzberg Jazz Jam—a new event series featuring local bands performing music at the library on the first Thursday of each month, hosted by HEAL Center for the Arts founder Harvey Lockhart. The events are part of a new partnership with Kranzberg Arts Foundation to “bring arts-based programming and cultural enrichment to County Library branches.” The new programming is funded by a $200,000 endowment from the foundation.
“There are people in the library all the time, and we try to do really engaging programs,” says Sorth. “We often try to do arts programming; it’s very popular. And it’s very convenient for people to go to a public library.”
The partnership brings local artists to the library for events like the Jazz Jams or the High Noon Speaker series, which brings guest speakers to the Florissant Valley Branch on the second Monday of each month to discuss the arts, culture, and thought leadership. The upcoming Clark Family Branch, which is set to open in late 2023, will also host annual group exhibitions featuring KAF’s visual artists-in-residence.
“What we’re most excited about is bringing these arts programs into the neighborhoods,” says Chris Hansen, executive director of the Kranzberg Arts Foundation. “We’re just excited to meet people where they are and to get to know these communities and bring vibrancy through the arts.”
According to both Sorth and Hansen, the partnership is unlike any they’ve participated in before. “It’s an evergreen partnership,” says Hansen. “The endowment that was put in place allows us to work together for years to come to expand programming to move to different library branches, and continue to meet community members.”
The community has already had a positive response to the partnership, with artists ready to showcase their work and library-goers ready to participate. That positive response makes both Sorth and Hansen excited for the future.
“The future looks incredible,” Sorth says. “We started with two branches with regular programming, and the intent is that there are many, many other branches that can support this type of programming, too.”
The next SLCL/Kranzberg events are the Kranzberg Jazz Jam on November 3 at the Lewis & Clark Branch from 6-8 p.m. and the Kranzberg High Noon Series on November 14 at the Florissant Valley Branch from 12-1 p.m. For a full schedule of events, visit slcl.org.
