First Fridays, a monthly opening-night reception for all the artists of the library’s galleries, is part of a night of events through the Arts Districts. The following exhibits will open on Friday, September  3, 2021, and be up in the libraries' galleries through Tuesday, September 28, 2021: 

Gellman Room—“Welcome to the Universe”—a collection of watercolor paintings of galaxies and nebulas inspired by the photos taken by the NASA Hubble Space Telescope by Richmond artist Sandy Nye-Moran.  

Dooley Foyer— “Real Talk”—a series of acrylic paintings inviting conversations on topics that are necessary, yet not generally welcome for discussion, specifically social injustice, starting with the Pullman porter emerging from slavery to the hip-hop generation confronting police brutality by Richmond artist Stephanie Trimiew Ruffin.

Dooley Hall—“Gifts from the Sea”—watercolors and collages by Richmond artist Emma Lou Martin.

2nd Floor Gallery—“The Things That Kids Do” by Blanton Seward, longtime Richmond artist, featuring children and their ways.

The library’s permanent collections include works by Helen & Alvin Hattorf and Anne Newbold Perkins.