Dallas Public Library is the largest public library in Texas. Its mission is to serve the public’s informational, entertainment, and research needs. Visual arts, part of the Fine Arts Division, are located on the 4th floor of the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library at 1515 Young Street in downtown Dallas. Visual arts include general art subjects as well as individual artists, art history, architecture, design, photography, antiques and collectibles, philately, and numismatics. They are combined with music, theater, and dance subjects (Dewey 700’s). Visual arts also collect fashion and design, and tattoo and body art.
The visual arts share of the Fine Arts collection in the central library contains over 43,000 volumes, 375 current art periodicals (some extending back 100 years), 960 rolls of microfilm, and approximately 400 videos or DVDs. There are 81 drawers of vertical files containing individual artists’ names and general art subjects, mostly local. There are 36 drawers of mounted pictures of works of art and photographs of artists. These are available for checking out and are often used by students and teachers.
The Central Library is charged with collecting in depth and historically. The collection is primarily circulating and all is available for public use. It maintains current and back runs of art auction price books such as Gordon’s Printprice and Photography Annuals, Hislops Art Sales Index, and Lawrence’s Dealer Printprice. It also has many back issues of Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Parke Bernet auction catalogs. It subscribes to Wilson Art Index online. The visual arts collection has many catalogue raisonnes and older, hard-to-find books. As well as its cataloged materials, it owns a collection of rare prints that was a gift of the Dallas Print and Drawing Collecting Society.
The Lillian Bradshaw Gallery located on the Fine Arts floor is available for unknown and emerging artists to use free of charge. Usually booked one to two years in advance, the Gallery hosts the popular “Food for the Soul” show every December featuring the work of homeless citizens who create art at downtown church classes. The fourth floor’s exhibit cases have displayed children’s award winning artwork during Hispanic Heritage Month, the creations of the Oak Cliff Artisans, and the Dallas Handweavers biennial exhibit. In keeping with it ownership of, and use for, the people of Dallas, the library’s focus in exhibits is primarily local.
Though maintained and supported by the City of Dallas, the Dallas Public Library’s resources can be used by anyone through interlibrary loan, the TexShare card, telephone, or walk-in.
For Reference help with the Fine Arts at Dallas Public Library, contact:
Gwen Dixie