Christopher Myers: Unbound at Brooklyn Public Library's Central Library

Brooklyn Public Library's Central Library is hosting Unbound, a new body of work by Christopher Myers, the artist and children's book author. It runs from August 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027, and the pieces reach beyond the Grand Lobby to the building's façade, the Youth Wing and the second-floor balcony. The works are site-specific, scaled to the architecture itself.

The centerpiece is a pair of 40-foot tapestries. They layer characters and settings from books that are often banned or challenged, including George Orwell's Animal Farm and Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye. The idea is to let the contents of books spill out into the library's space, and to show what is lost when stories are suppressed. The theme ties in with the library's Books Unbanned initiative.

The second part of the show is a series of original stained-glass sculptures. They feature figures from Myers' forthcoming picture book Night Ride (Penguin Random House, September 2026): a group of New York kids cycling across Brooklyn and the other boroughs under the night sky. Jewel-like pieces of colored glass build up recognizable cityscapes, and the characters seem to invite viewers to join the ride, and to step into the library.

Myers was born in New York City in 1974 and lives and works in Brooklyn. His practice covers textiles, performance, film and sculpture, often made with artisans around the world. He won a Caldecott Honor for Harlem and a Coretta Scott King Award for illustrating Firebird with Misty Copeland, and his work is held in collections including the Brooklyn Museum and the Studio Museum in Harlem. For readers who love picture books, or who are curious about how art engages with questions of free expression, this is a rewarding stop. The exhibition is organized by BPL Presents with curator Cora Fisher.