Athenaeum in La Jolla offers education in music and arts

Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in La Jolla

Ancient Athens is thought of as a great center of education and culture. The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, located in the center of La Jolla, reflects these attributes in not only name but in content. The Athenaeum is a non-profit library focusing on the music and arts, with a strong emphasis on education.

The Athenaeum began as the La Jolla Reading Club in 1894. In 1899, the club joined with the Library Association of La Jolla and became a membership library: sharing its collections with other libraries in the area. With the support of Ellen Browning Scripps, and others, the Library moved to its current location in 1921. The ever-growing membership and collections required further expansion allowing space for exhibitions, music rooms, lecture halls, and two studio locations. The Athenaeum currently spans across three different buildings.

With more than 14,000 books on the subjects of art and music, 7,000 CDs, DVDs, sheet music, and special collections, the Athenaeum is a rare resource center.  Exhibitions, lectures, concerts, wine and film events, and chamber music are all part of the cultural experiences the Athenaeum has to offer.

The Athenaeum’s dedication to education is evident in the Athenaeum Music & Arts Education Program.  The program is a presentation series for children K through 12 that consist of music, arts, physics, history, social studies, math, and psychology. The library also offers art classes through their School of Arts in painting, sculpture, ceramics, book arts, computer graphics, photography, and more. 

The Athenaeum is a haven of cultural arts and is worth seeing. While you are in La Jolla, don’t miss a chance to visit Thumbprint Gallery, just a few blocks away, exhibiting works by local urban artists. The gallery is open on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 12-4pm.

 Source:
 http://www.ljathenaeum.org/home.html