The Richard J. Riordan Central Library is celebrating 100 years since opening, and to mark the occasion, the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL), in partnership with the Library Foundation of Los Angeles (LFLA), is hosting a day-long festival featuring music, food trucks, hands-on activities and the debut of the world’s largest pop-up book.
The free festival is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 11 and will begin with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and remarks by City Librarian John F. Szabo, followed by a recitation from Los Angeles Poet Laureate Brian Sonia-Wallace.
Throughout the day, attendees will be able to watch performances by Ashley Anne & The Carnations, Lucy Kalantari & the Jazz Cats, Japanese Taiko Drumming Ensemble, L.A. Taiko Ichiza, Mariachi Lindas Mexicanas, Urban Voices, The Linda Lindas and musicians from the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz.
Activities include zine-making, live screen printing, mixed-media pop-up book making, vault tours and the debut of a new exhibition featuring what is expected to become the world’s largest pop-up book.
The pop-up book, the centerpiece of the centennial celebration, was created by Los Angeles printmaker and graphic artist Daniel González. Titled “Luceros y Penumbras: The World’s Largest Pop-Up Book,” the exhibition will remain on display in the library’s Rotunda through November. It will also feature items from the library’s “rarely exhibited” Toy Movable Collection, which includes more than 2,000 pop-up and interactive books.
“They’re going to be amazed by the scale and size of it,” Todd Lerew, curator of the exhibition and LFLA’s special projects director, said. “I think they will hopefully be blown away by the beauty of the art and the intricacy of the detail that Daniel has worked into it. We really hope people take a moment to reflect on the story that he’s presenting, and maybe think about if there are ways the library has really helped and been a benefit to them in their own life and journey.”
The book measures roughly 18 by 29 feet when fully opened and unfolds across two pop-up spreads that will be displayed one at a time and turned weekly. González developed the project alongside paper engineer Matthew Reinhart and exhibition designer and project manager Ann Marshall.
One spread features the library building beneath a storytelling night sky and incorporates scenes from both the library’s history and González’s own experiences there. The second focuses on a “Tree of Wisdom” that represents the cultural knowledge of Los Angeles, alongside skylines that connect Downtown Los Angeles with El Teúl, Mexico, where González’s parents are from.
González said creating the installation was especially meaningful because the Central Library played an important role in his own life. He first visited the library as a child after it reopened in the early 1990s and later returned to get his first library card, research subjects that interested him and continue exploring ideas that would eventually influence his artwork.
“The library is a space that celebrates knowledge and celebrates learning,” González said. “So when I was approached with this commission, I thought, ‘What could I add to this? What can I bring to the library that could celebrate this idea that learning is a worthwhile endeavor?’ And a big part that makes us human is this desire to continue to search and learn.”
Rather than creating a historical timeline of the building, González said he wanted visitors to experience the installation through storytelling and symbols that encourage people to ask questions.
“I’m happy to have this opportunity to create something that will make you pause and reflect,” he said. “Hopefully, wonder will bring you some kind of delight and create that moment.”
The Richard J. Riordan Central Library first opened in July 1926 and has served as a public resource for Angelenos ever since. Today, the eight-story building houses nearly 3 million books, rare archives, art galleries, gardens, meeting spaces and special collections.
Leew said unveiling the pop-up book during the centennial celebration offered an opportunity to highlight both the building’s history and its continuing role as a place for creativity and learning.
“It’s a celebration of the collections, the centennial of Central Library and the story that Daniel has put together,” Lerew said. “He beautifully weaves together his own personal and family story with the history of the library and the city at large. The library itself … opened the door for him to explore his culture and identity, and he was able to use the library as a springboard to explore local history and develop his art practice as well.”
The exhibition was commissioned by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, a nonprofit organization that raises funds to support free library programs, exhibitions and educational initiatives throughout the city.
Admission to both the centennial festival and “Luceros y Penumbras: The World’s Largest Pop-Up Book” exhibition is free. For more information, visit lapl.org.
Central Library Centennial Festival
WHEN: Saturday, July 11, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
WHERE: Central Library, 630 W. Fifth Street, Los Angeles
COST: Free
INFO: lapl.org