Thief in the Knight was the gold standard when it came to innovative Art Walk shows. Of course, this assertion is my personal opinion and has everything to do with my personal taste, however I can also point to public endorsement based on the sheer number of people who frequented and stayed at each of the shows.

When the venue was shuttled last July the space organizers searched for different locations with no luck and slowly it faded away. It’s no surprise, most Art Walk venues are temporary at best, making use of unused store fronts and bombed out buildings. That was the intention all along but when something special like Thief in the Knight hits the scene you HOPE to see it stick around for a while.

Enter The Old Library Basement

photo credit: Varick Rosete

I’m glad to announce a new contender has arrived on the scene equally as raw, inspiring and fun as Thief in the Knight: The Old Library Basement (OLB). The name isn’t as catchy, but the OLB has now ascended to the top ranks of Art Walk destinations.

5 Reasons Why It’s the Best New Art Walk Venue

1. It’s Big. With space to grow and air to flow The OLB is about three times the size of Thief in the Knight. The exhibitions can be as big or as small as they need to be. While there is no AC (that I recall) the larger space and underground location will keep it a little cooler than normal.
2. Talented Staff. Clay Doran, who I’ll call the chief organizer, has put together amazing show after amazing show. He also has a great pool of talent around him to pull from.
3. Venue Support. This is probably the most important aspect of it’s current success and any future success. OLB has support from the landlord, something I get the sense was lacking at Thief in the Knight, especially towards the end of it’s life. I have a feeling The OLB will be around as long as Clay wants.
4. Location. Location. Location. We all know the corner of Ocean and Laura is where all the Art Walk action is. The OLB is located right on that block. Situated across the street from the Burrito Gallery and London Bridge, it’s at the heart of Art Walk (if there is one).
5. Public Access. By and large most of the shows have been open to public contributions. With a space this large, Clay understands opening it to the public, at times, is essential to producing a large amount of work to display. Granted, many times you have to run in certain circles to know when the OLB is open to public submissions.

Some Past Shows

Monster Show (photos)
I’m Board Skatedeck Show and Skate Demo (photos)

This month’s Art Walk, February 4th, The OLB invites you to participate turning the gallery space into an open studio. See artists in action and be the artist as YOU contribute to this ongoing project.

Live music @ 7pm Buff Clout & Human Seed. Buff Clout has been personally endorsed by my friend and co-worker Travis Schmeisser so I can whole heartedly recommend them to you.

Haydon Burns Library Basement
112 North Ocean Street

Thanks to Chad for the heads up on this video. An art show put on by Chad Landenberger, Clay Doren and Red Bull. Held in the basement of the old downtown library in Jacksonville Florida during the cities monthly Art Walk held on the first wednesday of every month. Filmed and edited by Chris Jolly.

This is a sneak preview of the Jacksonville Monster Show. You can catch the show tonight at Art Walk (August 6).

The Jax Monster Show is an annual show of vampires, zombies, blobs, ghosts, demons and probably creatures that you have never heard of. It is an open entry art show for anyone that wants to submit. The only restriction is that the piece must be a monster.

LOCATION: The basement of the Haydon Burns Library
122 N Ocean St, Jacksonville, FL, 32202