JAZZ - If You Got to Ask, You Ain't Got It!

Brand Library has some fantastic CD box sets waiting for you! Click the links below to place your hold on these discs...


Louis Armstrong

Portrait of the artist as a young man, 1923-1934

Jelly Roll Morton : the complete Library of Congress recordings by Alan Lomax.

Fats Waller & his Rhythm

If you got to ask, you aint's got it!

Dexter Gordon

John Coltrane

The heavyweight champion : the complete Atlantic recordings

And visit Brand Library for more items in our art and music collections!

Brand Library Music Series May 17, 2009 3:00 PM

Associates of Brand Library Music Series
Sunday May 17, 2009 3:00 PM

Flute and Guitar, Alone and Together

Sarah Wass, flute

Steven Thachuk, guitar

Music of Bach, Copland, Robert Beaser and Ian Clarke.

A reception for the artists will follow the concert.

More information on Sarah Wass

More information on Steven Thachuk

"Selected Curiosities" exhibition opening at Brand Library Art Galleries - Saturday, May 16th

Please join us at the opening reception for Selected Curiosities featuring the artwork of Monica Furmanski, Michael Pearce, Janet Neuwalder, and Jennifer Tenace.

Reception: Saturday, May 16, 6-9 pm
Exhibition on View: May 16 - June 19, 2009

Selected Curiosities showcases the work of four Los Angeles area artists working in a variety of media to create pieces that promise to pique the viewer’s curiosity.

Using clay, mixed media, and digital photographic prints Monica Furmanski and Janet Neuwalder will collaborate on an installation that speaks to both the micro and macro aspects of the natural world. Their collaborative effort is based on the "use of similar imagery that investigates the poetic and complex structures of natural and industrial systems, networks, and matrices."

With nature as her starting point, Jennifer Tenace uses oil, acrylic and mixed media on panel to create lush abstract landscapes in which the mercurial aspects of process are evident.

Michael Pearce will show his installation, Mr. Pearce’s Cabinet of Alchemical Wonders, for the first time. This installation includes many mixed media pieces and large scale paintings. It reflects Pearce’s interest in the philosophy of alchemy with its base elements of air, water, fire, and earth, to celebrate humankind’s longing to understand the phenomenon of the universe.

More information is on the Brand Library website.

This Week @ Brand Library

Brand Library starts its annual Los Angeles Opera Talks this Saturday, October 11 at 2:00pm. Speakers from the Los Angeles Speakers Bureau will present a series of talks focusing on the magical and powerful world of opera. The first talk An Introduction to Wagner, Themes and Stories will be given by Los Angeles Opera Speaker's Bureau member Joann Porter Toll. The full schedule of opera talks can be found on the Brand Library’s website.

Continuing in the Brand Library Art Galleries is Brand 37: Works on Paper. This is the thirty-seventh annual national juried exhibition produced by the Associates of Brand Library & Art Center. Eighty-five works on paper in a variety of media, including etchings, photography, pen & ink, various print techniques including intaglio, linocuts, and monotypes, watercolors and mixed media works have been selected. Juror Kim Abeles made selections based on the technical quality of the work and the successful expression of the exhibition’s theme, Here & Now. Ms. Abeles is an internationally recognized artist, whose work is in numerous private and public collections, including the Museum of Contemporary Art and Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Brand 37 is on view during Brand Library’s open hours and will continue through October 31st.

These events are free and open to the public!

Brand Associates Purchase Award Collection

The Associates of Brand Library are pleased to present a special exhibition at Brand Library Art Galleries!

Brand Associates Purchase Award Collection: Retrospective Exhibition


On view: June 28 through July 25, 2008


Please join us and several of the artists at the Brand Library Art Galleries for a Closing Reception on Friday, July 25th, 5-8 pm.

Brand Associates Purchase Award Collection: Retrospective Exhibition is a selection of art works purchased by the Associates of Brand Library from their annual national juried exhibitions. The annual exhibitions have been organized and sponsored by the Associates since 1971. This special retrospective exhibition will showcase the art works by artists who have been recipients of the Purchase Award at the annual juried exhibitions.

The Purchase Award, given by the Associates of Brand Library, is bestowed to one or more works at the annual juried exhibition that is felt to be outstanding in artistry and technique. The Associates award the recipient, by purchasing the piece for their art collection and as a legacy to each annual exhibition.

The Associates' Purchase Award Collection now contains over 100 pieces of artwork. A selection of approximately 60 pieces acquired by the Associates from the 1970s through 2007 will be exhibited with an emphasis on artworks by Californian artists. There will be several works by artists from Glendale and neighboring cities.

The Associates of Brand Library is non-profit volunteer organization whose purpose is to aid and promote the Brand Library and its Art Center through sponsorship of programs and donations, and to foster art and music education in the community.

Admission is FREE. There is ample free parking.

Summertime at 1601 W. Mountain Street in the 1910s!

Women playing tennis at the lodge: A group of 5 unidentified women standing on the tennis courts that were on the grounds of Leslie C. Brand’s lodge. The lodge was a recreational home situated behind the Brands' main residence, El Miradero.


Women at the pool: A group of women at the pool on the westside of Leslie C. Brand's property, near his home El Miradero. The pool was enclosed in an outdoor structure.



These images come from a collection of online photographs that depict Leslie C. Brand and his family while he was still living in El Miradero. The collection includes images of the rooms within the mansion, and scenic views of the property and are available online as part of The Online Archive of California (OAC). The collection includes photographs and documentation related to Mr. and Mrs. Brand's funeral, the Brand family cemetery, the Brand Lodge, Brand's 1921 fly-in party, his airfield and airplanes, his automobiles, and his camp in Mono Lake. The collection also includes photographs of the Brand Library and Park that was created from his home and property deeded to the City of Glendale.

Opera Concert at Brand Library 6/14

Community Concert at Brand Library
Saturday June 14, 2008 2:00 PM
Free Admission

with Los Angeles Opera artists:
Karen Vuong - Soprano
Craig Colclough - Bass-baritone

Paul Floyd - Piano

Performing some of opera's most famous arias and highlights from the 08-09 season.
A reception for the artists will follow the concert.

More informaiton about the LA Opera Community Concerts can be found on their website.

Brand Library Dance Series #2 of 3

The Associates of Brand Library are pleased to present the 2008 Brand Library Dance Series.

The second of three dance performances is this Sunday March 16th at 3:00pm in the Brand Library Art Galleries. The group performing is the Los Angeles based dance company B.E. Productions.

B.E. Productions opens a door to a world of fantasy and movement that fires the imagination. They will perform In Dark Trees, which introduces a fanciful land where the audience meets elegant “Bird of Paradise,” playful “Corkscrew Grass,” wild “Venus Flytrap” and other characters based on the creature-like portraits of dancers. Group dances like “Very, Very Hungry” demonstrate the dramatic potential of movement. Company dancer and artist Jennifer Logan will bring the experience full circle, displaying paintings she created for the piece.

Admission is FREE.


The performance will include a discussion with the choreographers and dancers. A reception for the dancers will follow the performance.

About B.E. Productions
Founded in 2004, B.E. Productions is a Los Angeles-based dance company born from years of collaboration between co-artistic directors Rebecca Levy and Eryn Schon. The company’s mission is to explore the creative process collaboratively, using cross-disciplinary connections to expand the boundaries of dance as an art form. B.E. Productions has performed in venues and festivals in the Los Angeles and Boston areas and has been praised on both coasts for its power, elegance and originality. B.E. Productions is a nonprofit company under the fiscal agency of the Dance Resource Center of Greater Los Angeles. www.beproductions.org

For more information about the dance series please visit the Brand Library website and to view images from past performances please visit the Photo Archive.

Brand Library Music Series

Associates of Brand Library Music Series
Women's Lives and Loves : A Musical Exploration

Saturday, March 15, 2008 2:00 pm
Free Admission


Diana Tash - Mezzo-soprano
Timothy Loo - Cello
Victoria Kirsch - Piano


The Associates of Brand Library are pleased to present a concert exploring women’s lives and loves, featuring songs and chamber music by Brahms, Debussy, Clara Schumann, Lori Laitman, Libby Larsen, Alan Smith and Richard Pearson Thomas.


A reception for the artists will follow the concert.

For more information and the artist biographies please visit the Brand Library website.

Brand Library 2008 Dance Series starts this Sunday!

The Associates of Brand Library are pleased to present the 2008 Brand Library Dance Series. The first of three dance performances is this Sunday March 2nd at 3:00pm in the Brand Library Art Galleries. The group performing will be the Los Angeles based contemporary dance company Lineage Dance.

Lineage Dance will perform Beneath the Skin: An Exploration of Human Qualities. Based on the text of Ruth Gendler's The Book of Qualities, and accompanied by the music of Billy Mitchell, the dancers will explore the movement behind our many different human qualities.

Admission is FREE.

The performance will include a discussion with the choreographers and dancers and takes place in the Brand Library Art Galleries. A reception for the dancers will follow the performance.



Upcoming performances
Sundays at 3:00pm

March 16: B.E. Productions
In Dark Trees

March 30: Kin Dance Company

For more information about the dance series please visit the Brand Library website and to view images from past performances please visit the Photo Archive.

Houses of Los Angeles

Leslie C. Brand and his home El Miradero (now Brand Library) is included in Sam Watters’ two-volume publication Houses of Los Angeles, 1885-1935. These volumes profile 75 of the most original residences by leading architects and landscape designers in and around Los Angeles. Illustrated with over 800 archival images these books are part of Acanthus Press’ series Urban Domestic Architecture, examining great American residential buildings of early 20th century. El Miradero is featured in volume one, 1885-1919, and Leslie C. Brand is in the company of other city founders including Henry E. Huntington, Arthur Letts, and William Andrews Clark Jr. Volume two, 1920-1935, includes movie stars Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, Harold Lloyd and Frances Marion along with other Hollywood celebrities.

The Los Angeles Times covered the release of these books with an article on Oct. 4, 2007. "Houses of Los Angeles documents many of the great heartbreak homes—magnificent architecture and gardens built to blend with extraordinary natural settings, all destroyed by developers, city governments and an assortment of tycoons." — Los Angeles Times. Not all of the homes included in the volumes have been destroyed, as Brand Library is a testament to a surviving treasure!

The book’s author Sam Watters did much of his research for El Miradero by using archival materials at the Brand Library and also the Special Collections Room at Glendale Central Library. Watters was educated at Yale University, the University of Marseilles, and the Royal Herbarium at Kew. He currently teaches at the architecture school of the University of Southern California.

Watters will present a lecture on Houses of Los Angeles, Saturday, December 1, 2007 at 1:00pm in the Brand Library Recital Hall. This event is free and open to the public!

Don't be blue!

A great mix of the arts is merged in Blues: a photographic documentary by David Harrison. This elegant book is a celebration of the blues through spectacular black and white photographs of blues musicians. From the early rural blues of Son House and Lightnin' Hopkins to the electrified urban sounds of Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, and Buddy Guy, this photo essay evokes the atmosphere and cultural setting of the blues. The 120 outstanding photographs, both formal and intimate, of world-famous blues musicians are by world-famous photographers.

If you are interested in art and music then you must come to Brand Library to check out more books like this in addition to music CDs and art or music DVDs, plus a whole lot more! Brand Library is the art and music section of the Glendale Public Library.

Architectural Tour @ the Library!

Docents from The Glendale Historical Society will conduct a free architectural bus tour of the Glendale Public Library on Saturday, November 10, from 9am-1pm, featuring stops at the Central Library, Grandview Branch, and Brand Library & Art Center.

Start at the heart of the library system with the Central Library, built in 1973 by the architectural firm of Welton Beckett and Associates, and learn more about the oldest and newest architectural gems of our dynamic public libraries based on research by architect and Historical Society board member John LoCasio.

Call 818-548-2042 to sign up for the tour or for more information.

Works on Paper

R. Stanley Johnson’s book Pablo Picasso, works on paper : historical perspectives presents a quick glimpse at the many media and techniques Picasso used to create works on paper. Johnson’s essay focuses on lithography and linocuts and the illustrations include examples of these techniques as well as etchings, pencil or crayon drawings, drypoints, aquatints and several examples of more than one printing technique in the same work. The book also includes a bibliography and chronology. The illustrations are in black and white and color, and include reference to the title, date, size, media, and provenance. The illustrated works date from 1901 to 1970 which demonstrates Picasso’s longevity as an artist.

Works on paper can range from being simple sketches, or doodles, to complete works of art! Brand Library Art Galleries is currently showing an entire exhibition of works on paper. On view through November 16, 2007 is Brand 36 - Works on Paper : Secrets & Confessions. This exhibition was juried by artist Lita Albuquerque and includes 87 works on paper in a variety of media, including etchings, photography, drawings, prints, watercolors and mixed media works. This is an excellent example of the variety of media and techniques that can be used on paper.

AC/DC : maximum rock & roll

You know the library is a cool place when they have books like AC/DC : maximum rock & roll!

Authors ... well, music journalists, Murrary Engleheart and Arnaud Durieux write from personal experience with the band as well as information from more than 1300 interviews. This is the first complete story of AC/DC and includes trvia, anecdotes, answers to well known myths, and never-before-seen photos to create the ultimate portrait of the ultimate rock band.

AC/DC was started by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young in Sydney, Australia and debuted their first album in 1975. From the tragic death of frontman Bon Scott, through their height of popularity in the 1980s, up to an album in 2000 this book has it all. It includes a discography of albums, compilations, singles of interest, videos, and an index. This was one of the first major rock bands that I listened to in my youth (and still do) and their sound had a major impact on my music choices since then!

To make reading this massive book even more enjoyable don’t forget to check out Brand Library’s CD collection including several of AC/DC’s best albums!

Modernist Paradise : Niemeyer House, Boyd Collection

I was first introduced to this book while reading an issue of Vanity Fair -- not your usual source for book reviews but occasionally they do brief mentionings of art themed books. (I also found out about Picasso & Lump via Vanity Fair).

Modernist Paradise : Niemeyer House, Boyd Collection (Rizzoli, 2007) is a feast of modern art, architecture, furniture, objects, and interior design through almost 300 colored illustrations. The reader is invited into Michael and Gabrielle Boyd’s home -- the only North American residential design by Oscar Niemeyer (1907- ). The Boyds rescued this home, in Santa Monica, from demolition and completely restored it and it now also houses their extraordinary 20th century furniture, art and book collections.

The Boyds could have turned this masterpiece into a museum attraction but instead they live in modernist paradise!

The images of these modern masterpieces echo the characteristics of modernist design -- open plans, clean lines and strong construction -- and have the feel of looking at a movie set or flash back to a time that so briefly existed. If you can tear yourself away from the exceptional photographs by Tim Street Porter there is an introduction by Michael Webb and essays by Michael and Gabrielle Boyd. The featured designers include Gerrit Rietveld, Jean Prouvé, Marcel Breuer and Arne Jacobsen but fans of Rudolph Schindler, Charles and Ray Eames, and Jean Arp will not be disappointed. And for the librarian in all of us this beautiful book also includes an excellent index with the artists’ names in bold -- you could not ask for more!


All of the artists names mentioned above and in bold are linked to other titles that can be found at Brand Library.

The Ultimate Stan Kenton Book!

The Kenton Kronicles by Steven D. Harris (Dynaflow Publications 2000) is a much-praised biography on big band leader Stan Kenton. The author's exhaustive research allowed him to make corrections from earlier biographies even to the extent of finding a discrepancy in Kenton's birth date. The book covers Kenton’s youth to his rise to the top of America’s big band scene. The work includes interviews, bibliography, video-filmography and 285 photographs. The forward is by Kenton’s arranger Pete Rugolo.

Harris, a jazz archivist and historian, will present a lecture entitled The Artistry of Stan Kenton at Brand Library on Saturday June 2, 2007 at 2:00 pm.

Art Textiles of the World. USA

Telos Art Publishing from England produces a fascinating series dedicated to textile art and artists from around the world. Art Textiles of the World: USA breaks down barriers between installation art, sculpture, design and craft. American textile artists have long been acclaimed around the world for their technical mastery and assured artistic voice. This heavily illustrated book contains profiles of ten outstanding artists working across the spectrum of art textiles: Kyoung Ae Cho, Virginia Davis, Deborah Fisher, Ann Hamilton, Linda Hutchins, Jane Lackey, Susan Lordi Marker, Charlene Nemec-Kessel, Jason Pollen, Jane Sauer.

In addition to the volume on USA there are also volumes for Great Britain, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia. In 2005, Brand Library Art Galleries presented an exhibition-- Opulent Splendor -- a celebration of ornamentation, pattern, and fantasy through painting, fiber art, costume, and fashion. If you are interested in the world of textiles and fiber arts you cannot miss out on these books or looking at the images from this exhibition.

The Private Lives of the Impressionists

Did you ever wonder which famous artist drank too much champagne in the lively cabaret clubs of the Montmartre district, or which artist’s family went to elaborate efforts to hide the existence of his illegitimate son? If yes, then The Private Lives of the Impressionists is for you!

British author Sue Roe’s intimate, colorful, and superbly researched account takes us into the homes and studios of Monet, Cezanne, Degas, Renoir, Morisot and others, describing their unconventional, volatile and precarious lives, as well as the stories behind the paintings we know and love.

This title is both educational and a pleasure to read and will be of interest to Francophiles, art lovers, history buffs, and just about anyone else.

If you like this book, visit us at the Brand Library; with hundreds of titles about French Impressionism we are your source for material on this topic!