Join Oceanside Public Library for three distinct programs that celebrate the Arts and the unique voice of Oceanside. Before I Die is a global project that invites people to contemplate mortality and share their personal aspirations in public, and the three programs all connect to this project. First, the Before I Die wall, a participatory art piece, will have panels unveiled at the Civic Center Plaza and at the Oceanside Museum of Art on June 1, from 5 to 8 p.m. Panels of the wall will be at various Oceanside locations throughout the next three weeks, in an effort to get wide-spread participation in this powerful project. For the second program on June 15, in the Civic Center Library Community Rooms at 330 N. Coast Highway at 6:00 p.m., renowned spoken-word poet Ant Black will host a workshop that will use the Before I Die theme as inspiration for participants to create original poetry. Finally, for the third program, on June 22, in the Civic Center Plaza at 6 p.m., Ant Black will return for the reuniting of the Before I Die panels, and a special performance that will touch on themes that emerge from the content of panels and from the workshop. Workshop participants will be invited to share their poems, as well.
This project is sponsored by the California Center for the Book’s grant program called “Californians: Community Conversations about the Arts.” The Library is partnering with the City of Oceanside Arts Commission, and is also working with funding from the Friends of the Oceanside Public Library. For more information about Library services and programs visit www.oceansidepubliclibrary.org or call (760) 435-5600.