The library’s permanent collection features contemporary American art and is designed to engage our multicultural community with works that are challenging, intriguing, and enduring. Original art, displayed at all three library locations, graces our spaces with whimsy, wonder, and vibrant color.
The Oak Park Public Library welcomes local artists to exhibit their work and engage with the community. Access to opportunities and spaces is guided by our commitment to equity and anti-racism.
See community art exhibits in the Main Library Art Gallery and at Maze Branch
Click the “Current and upcoming exhibits and receptions” button below to learn more about Echoes: The Stories of Male Survivors Overcoming Sexual Trauma by Robert Marshall in the Main Library Art Gallery (left) and Portrait Studies: Art From Life by Delia Jean Hickey at Maze Branch (right).
What’s new
Listen to six local artists ‘In Conversation’
To enhance your public art experience and better connect you with the unique creativity and spirit of six local artists, brief recorded interviews are available. Click on LISTEN to hear the artist in conversation directly from this webpage. Or find each individual piece on your next visit to the Main Library and call the unique “In Conversation” phone number posted.
Where to find it: Main Library Third Floor, Study Room D
Where to find it: Main Library Third Floor, Study Room F
Where to find it: Main Library Second Floor, East Wall
Where to find it: Main Library Third Floor, Study Room C
Where to find it: Main Library Third Floor, Outside Study Room A
Where to find it: Main Library Third Floor, Study Room B
Learn more about each piece in the permanent art collection
Hover over, then click on images below for more detail about each piece. To find exactly what you are looking for, use the search box to enter the artist name or title of the work.
Watch: ‘We Cultivate Curiosity’
Thanks to Videographer Joe Kreml and the Village of Oak Park for creating this inside look at the library’s permanent art collection »
Funding for the permanent art collection
Original acquisitions were funded by the Bricks for Art program and Gala Preview Party prior to the 2003 opening of the Main Library building. Building such a collection is a process that continues. Today funds are raised through a percentage of sales of artwork exhibited in the gallery and through giving to the library. To learn more, contact us »
