Charles Coe display begins today at Copley Library

Boston artist Charles Coe’s photography and stories display highlights Mission Hill residents and workers in “What You Don’t Know about Me,” which begins today and runs through September 30, 2018 in Gallery J on the first floor of the Johnson building at the Central Library in Copley Square. This show is the first to occupy Gallery J, which was primarily created to feature the collections of the BPL and related programming in conjunction with the Central Library Renovation, completed in 2016.

“Boston Public Library welcomes visitors to meet the friendly faces and voices of one of Boston’s storied neighborhoods in the library’s newest gallery space, in what we hope will be the first of many displays sharing experiences and artifacts that embody our collective cultural heritage,” said Meghan Weeks, Boston Public Library’s Curator of Interpretation.

“What You Don’t Know about Me” is the second phase of a project created by Charles Coe as a 2017 City of Boston Artist-In-Residence. Coe was chosen, along with nine other artists who work in a variety of media, to establish community-based, collaborative art projects in cooperation with Boston Centers for Children & Families (BCYF). Based at the Tobin Community Center, Coe traversed the Mission Hill neighborhood collecting bits of personal history from people who live or work in the neighborhood and matched each anecdote with a photograph of the teller. The stories offer combinations of image and story that create moments of surprise and encourage us all, in an increasingly divided society, to move beyond stereotypes and preconceptions and engage our neighbors with open minds.

Boston Public Library provides educational, cultural and civic enrichment, free to all, for the residents of Boston, Massachusetts and beyond, through its collections, services, programs, and spaces. Established in 1848, the Boston Public Library is a pioneer of public library service in America. It was the first large free municipal library in the United States, the first public library to lend books, the first to have a branch library, and the first to have a children’s room. As a City of Boston historic cultural institution, Boston Public Library today features a Central Library, twenty-five branches, a map center, business library, archival center; extensive special collections of rare books, manuscripts, photographs, and prints; and rich digital content and online services. The award-winning renovation of the Central Library in Copley Square, completed in 2016, together with new, renovated and historic branches, provide a transformed library system for the next generation of users. Boston Public Library enriches lives, hosting thousands of free educational programs and exhibitions, and provides free library services online and in-person to millions of people each year.  To learn more, visit bpl.org.