The Bookmobile will not be at any stops this week for scheduled maintenance. We will resume a normal schedule Tuesday, May 28.

Sherry Best

Avatar of Sherry Best

I'm the gallery director of the Alice C. Sabatini Gallery at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library. We want to bring the best art possible to the library, and introduce our community to new ideas and techniques. Our goal is to be the world's leading gallery in helping people "Get" Art.

Contact Sherry at sbest@tscpl.org

Sherry‘s Book Picks

ZooA visit to the Sesame Street zoo : featuring Jim Henson's Sesame Street MuppetsI'd rather be on safariHey mister-- your aligator's loose! : a lifetime of intimate animal adventuresGary Clarke's Africa : wildlife, rainbows and laughter : photographic essays celebrating three decades on safari

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Sherry's Posts

summary post glove blog

Why I Like It: Art Review of The Waiting Room

Using crochet and tear-shaped beads, artist Stephanie Lanter created a Victorian-style opera glove to complement the Melancholia chair tableau – and convey the psychological weight of depression.

Gary Clarke's AfricA

Gary K. Clarke’s AfricA premiers at the Library!

For decades, Gary K. Clarke led photography safaris all over Africa. He collected thousands of photographs, and presents them in a limited-edition, coffee-table size extravaganza, premiering in the Library’s Marvin Auditoriu. As Director Emeritus of the World Famous Topeka Zoo, and later as President-for-Life of Cowabunga Safaris, Clarke has built a wealth of knowledge about [...]

Katerina Strakhova Tropicana 2009

Topeka Competition 30 purchases

Thanks to the Friends of the Library! Their support of the Topeka Competition 30 lets us add great art to our library’s collection. For more than 30 years, the Friends of the Library has sponsored the Topeka Competition. This is a national, juried, biennial exhibition, featuring the best in contemporary arts and crafts. It started [...]

Brown v. Board of Education Art Contest

“Commemorating Our Nation’s Struggle for Freedom: A Juried Art Competition” – no fee for submission. Kansas artists 18 and older are invited to submit one piece, in any two-dimensional medium, that addresses the theme. “Since the founding of the United States in 1776, the American people have struggled to overcome racism, prejudice, and discrimination. There [...]

Book Arts for Schools handouts

Jeanne Drewes gave her program last Tuesday, and asked us to share her list of websites and handouts. Below are some of the sites she used to gather instructions for different bookbinding styles. Step-by-step instructions go with many of them. Other sites are good resources.  Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library Celebrates Preservation Week April [...]

Still space for “Family Treasures” workshop

Jeanne Drewes, the Chief of the Binding and Collections Care Division and Program Manager of the Mass Deacidification Preservation Directorate at the Library of Congress will lead a workshop on caring for your collection Thursday, April 28 from 6 – 8:30 pm in the Marvin Auditorium, 101B. Along with other archivists and preservationists, Jeanne will show you what [...]

Two great programs with Jeanne Drewes

Book Art for Schools Jeanne Drewes, Preservation librarian at the Library of Congress, will teach you how to teach others! “Book Art for Schools” is a workshop that shows you how to make five different book forms. You can then share your knowledge with students, scout troops, friends, family, anyone! Join us Tuesday, April 26, [...]

More news on the Topeka Competition 30

More news on the Topeka Competition 30 A full-time studio artist in Helena, MT, Notkin’s teapots, ceramic sculptures and tile murals are visual explorations into social and political commentary.  Through the 1960′s, 70′s and 80′s, when large scale abstract expressionist vessels and gestural ceramic sculptures were the rage in contemporary American ceramics, Notkin worked with [...]

The Printed Image 3 through January 16

Our juried national competitions bring the best, most innovative new work together. Our sponsor, the Friends of the Library, support over $2,000 in awards.  Here in Topeka, the arts are a strong tradition. Why Topeka Competition 30? This is the 30th time we’ve held this competition. Its prestige and celebration of three-dimensional arts and craft media bring an excited [...]