Livingstone College Library, 1905
Salisbury, North Carolina
Robert Robinson Taylor, architect

The legacies of African American architects and designers—who have contributed greatly to the development of our built environment, although often in the shadows—are far-reaching and varied. The Livingstone College Library is one of three libraries designed by Robert Robinson Taylor (1868-1942), the first academically trained African-American architect in the United States. Livingstone’s library was funded with $12,500 in 1905 at the behest of Booker T. Washington, who had recruited Taylor in 1892 to design the campus of Tuskegee Institute. Washington met the future architect when Taylor was a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the first African American allowed into MIT.

Over his long career, Taylor built three colonial-style Carnegie Libraries for black colleges in Alabama, North Carolina, and Texas, as well as numerous other buildings. But his most enduring legacy stands at the Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University), where he worked as architect, architectural instructor, and vice president under Booker T. Washington. Throughout the last decade of the 19th century, Taylor designed more than two dozen buildings on its campus. Tuskegee’s Robert R. Taylor School of Architecture and Construction Science is named for him.

Book Discussion: Consumed. The Need for Collective Change
Monday, February 6, 7:00 p.m.
In recognition of Black History Month, we invite you to join us in a discussion of Aja Barber’s Consumed. The Need for Collective Change: Colonialism, Climate Change, and Consumerism. We'll meet in the Great Hall and discuss how Barber exposes the endemic injustices in our consumer industries and the uncomfortable history of the textile industry, one which brokered slavery, racism, and today’s wealth inequality. This program is in partnership with the Norfolk Church of Christ and the Norfolk Land Trust. Please note this is a discussion-centered program and the author will not be in attendance. The first 10 people to register for this program will receive a free copy of the book to keep. Visit here to register.

Documentary Film and Discussion with director Lisa Riordan Seville: A Woman on the Outside
Thursday, February 9, 7:00 p.m.
More than a quarter of women in this country have had a loved one incarcerated. For Black women, the odds are even higher. To love someone who's locked up isn't a marginal experience – it's an American one. Growing up, Kristal watched nearly every man in her life disappear to prison. She channeled that struggle into keeping families connected, both as a social worker and with her van service that drives families to visit loved ones in far-off prisons. But when Kristal's dad and brother return to Philly, her happiness meets the realization that release doesn't always mean freedom. Passionate, funny and resilient, Kristal remains determined to carve out a different future -- for herself and for her young nephew, Nyvae. Part observational documentary, part family album, A Woman on the Outside is a tender portrait of one family striving to love in the face of a system built to break them.

Director Lisa Riordan Seville will be present to introduce the film. She is an award-winning reporter and independent filmmaker whose stories explore how money, power and policy shapes the lives of everyday people. Her investigative and enterprise work has appeared across NBC News platforms, on BuzzFeed News, The Guardian U.S., Lifetime/A+E Networks and WNYC Radio. It has been recognized with a Peabody, a Hillman Award and a Sigma Delta Chi from the Society of Professional Journalists, among others. Her most recent piece was a cover story for New York Magazine about the deaths of 15 men in New York City's notorious Rikers Island jail complex. Please join us for this special program. Visit here to register and to find out more.

Programs this weekend

Visit here to register.

Corner Club: Li Liu, Acrobat
Tuesday, February 7, 3:30 - 4:00 p.m.
Celebrate the Chinese New Year with Li Liu! Li Liu was born in the city of Shenyang in Northeast China. At the age of six, she began her acrobatic training, and the following year she was chosen to attend the Chinese National Circus School in Beijing. While in Beijing she trained for eight hours a day until she was 16. In 1984 her artistic cycling act won a gold medal at the prestigious Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain in Paris, France. She often teamed with her sister Liu Ying to create duo acts that were conceived by her coach and father Liu Gui Ting. In 1995 their duo hand balancing act was selected to perform at The Wu Qiao International Circus Festival where they were awarded “The Golden Lion” prize. Li came to the United States in 2000 with Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus and has been working as a freelance performer since 2003. Children will need a note to get off the school bus at the Library. All are welcome to come see Li perform! Visit here to register.

Looking Ahead

Main Street America, A History
Picture Show and Lecture by William Hosley
Sunday, February 12, 2:00 p.m.
Main Street is an idea deeply infused into America's civic culture. It is often the heart of the sense of place that is the hallmark of outstanding communities. William Hosley explores Main Streets and how they have shaped life in this country. This program is presented by the Norfolk Historical Society as part of their Annual Meeting and in conjunction with the exhibition Main Street: A Look Back 100 Years. All are welcome.

William Hosley has been a curator, museum director, public speaker, project manager, writer, photographer, and cultural resource entrepreneur. With more than thirty years' experience in museums and historic preservation, his affiliations have included Historic Deerfield, the Winterthur Museum, the Wadsworth Atheneum, and, most recently, Connecticut Landmarks and the New Haven Museum, where he served as executive director. Author of five books and many articles, his work has appeared in dozens of magazines and newspapers.

Please register for this program here. And find out more here.
If you are unable to attend in person, visit here for the Zoom webinar link.

Film Screening: A Street Cat Named Bob
Monday, February 13, 5:00 p.m. 

Celebrate Valentine's Day with a nontraditional love story! When James Bowen finds an injured street cat, he has no idea just how much his life is about to change. James lives hand to mouth on the streets of London and the last thing he needs is a pet. Yet James can’t resist helping the strikingly intelligent tom cat, whom he christens Bob. He slowly nurses Bob back to health and then sends the cat on his way, imagining he will never see him again. But soon the two are inseparable and their diverse, comic and occasionally dangerous adventures transform both their lives, slowly healing the scars of each other's troubled pasts.

Winner of Best British Film at the National Film Awards, UK.

"A rewardingly unassuming, tough and tender portrait of a drug-addicted London busker whose ill-fated life takes a surprising turn after a ginger tabby turns up in his kitchen." - Michael Rechtshaffen, The Los Angeles Times

Register here to reserve your spot. Light refreshments will be served. If you are able, please bring some cat food to share with our friends at the Little Guild Animal Shelter in Cornwall.

Sambaland's Bossa Triba
Saturday, February 18, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Brazilian music comes to the Library during Carnival season! The six piece melodic ensemble Bossa Triba is a lively troupe of musicians who perform on traditional Brazilian percussive instruments including drums, bells, and shakers. They make up one of three incredible groups of the musical collective known as Sambaland, founded in 1994 by Teri and Jim Weber. Their mission is to provide authentic Brazilian music to the Berkshires and beyond. Please register for this free concert here.

Evening Embers

Monday and Thursday evenings through the winter
4:00 - 7:00 p.m.
The weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful... and if you've no place to go, enjoy a book, newspaper, or magazine by the warmth of the fire in the Great Hall.

Mindfulness with Miranda Lee
Fridays in February, 9:15 - 10:15 via Zoom
Mindfulness can be defined as “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” In this series, mindfulness practitioner Miranda Lee will teach participants how to live a more mindful life and equip them with the tools they need to help build resilience against the challenges of day-to-day life. There is no class this Friday, January 27. Miranda's theme for February is "Self-Compassion." Visit here to register for the Zoom link. Anyone can join at any time.

See what's new at the Norfolk Library ...

Find our full list here.