Books & Books Coming to Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale, Grand Opening Jan. 13

The Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale, Nova Southeastern University is pleased to announce that Books & Books, one of the nation’s most well-respected bookstores, has entered into an agreement with NSU to bring noted authors, books, and programming to the Museum.  With the addition of a café with sandwiches and salads prepared by Chef Allen Susser, the Museum will become an even more popular destination in downtown Fort Lauderdale.

Since 1982, Books & Books, which originated in Coral Gables, Fla., has hosted local, national and international writers as part of its award-winning Reading Series. Past guests range from first-time authors to critically acclaimed writers such as Carlos Fuentes, Frank McCourt, Kurt Vonnegut, Eric Carle, Walter Cronkite, President Bill Clinton, President George W. Bush and Rudolf Giuliani.

“We are proud to bring Books & Books to the Museum where the community as well as our students, alumni, faculty and staff will be able to meet authors, hear writers and view art, all in one place,” said George L. Hanbury, II, Ph.D., president of NSU. 

The Museum is hosting a Books & Books grand opening weekend from Jan. 13-16, which includes free Museum admission, special events, author appearances and $2 off Vatican Splendors exhibition pre-sale tickets, which opens Jan. 29.  Events include:

Thursday, Jan. 13 — Museum opens at 11 a.m. with free admission until 8 p.m

• • 6 p.m. lecture event: John Wilmerding, former Deputy Director of the National Gallery of Art and highly respected authority on American art, speaks about the exhibition Tom Wesselmann Draws. Reservations are requested.  Call Holly Guiliano 954-262-0241.

Friday, Jan. 14 — Museum opens at 11 a.m. with free admission until 5 p.m.

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  • 12 – 1 p.m. Jacob Jeffries Band performance: Declared “[one] of Miami’s best and most buzzed-about independent artists, singer songwriters,” by the Miami Herald, the Jacob Jeffries Band has released a series of albums engineered and produced by Grammy Award-winning producers Sebastian Krys and Dan Warner and published by Warner Chappell. Jacob Jeffries, considers among his musical influences Ben Folds, the Beatles, Tom Petty, Gavin Degraw and Jellyfish.  
  • 1 p.m. event:  An informal “Conversation” with Chef Allen Susser of Chef Allen’s and the Museum’s new café along with radio/television host Linda Gassenheimer.  Linda Gassenheimer is the author of the best-selling cookbook, Dinner in Minutes. She has also written ten other cookbooks, produces and hosts a weekly segment, “Food News and Views,” on WLRN National Public Radio and makes many guest appearances on numerous radio and television programs throughout the United States and Canada.  
  • 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. Jacob Jeffries Band performance:  See prior listing. 

Saturday, Jan. 15 – Museum opens at 11 a.m. with free admission until 5 p.m.

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  • 11 a.m. storytelling event: Co-author Pablo Cartaya shares his yummy new picture book for little ones, Tina Cocolina, Queen of the Cupcake. Immediately following the storytelling, guests will enjoy coloring chef’s hats and receive a complimentary mini-cupcake provided by Sugarsweet Dreams Cake Company.
  • 2 p.m. storytelling event: A story time for young readers features sketching in the galleries, viewing Tom Wesselmann Draws and concluding with a family tour. 
  • 3 p.m. City Theatre Free Reading Plays for Summer Shorts Festival:  This popular free play reading series, entering its 15^th season in association with Books & Books, previews scripts culled from among the 1,200+ plays submitted annually by national and local playwrights as part of the National Ten-Minute Play Contest.  The readings feature a rotating company of South Florida’s finest actors, and are led by City Theatre’s artistic staff.  Audiences enjoy participating in the process of a play’s development by being among the first to hear and evaluate a new work. 

Sunday, Jan. 16 — Museum opens at 12 p.m. with free admission until 5 p.m.

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  • 1-2 p.m. Inside Out Theatre Performance: Inside Out Theatre Company will present its newest original musical on bullying, “Nowhere to Hide.” The show, performed by youth for youth ages 8-12, runs approximately one hour and will include a post performance discussion with the audience. 
  • 1-3 p.m. Local Author Open House:  A lively, informal “Meet and Greet” with local authors featuring live music and food.  Authors in attendance include: Kristy Kiernan, James Grippando, Evelina Galang, Lynne Barrett, Michael Hettich, Fabiola Santiago, Steven Raichlen, Thomas Swick and Adrian Castro. 
  • 3 p.m. Poetry Collective event: Members of the Miami Poetry Collective, including Peter Borrebach, Parker Phillips, David Svenson, and Patsy Warman, will be reading poems that speak from the spaces between the arts, utilizing ekphrasis (poetry written after specific works of visual art) as a tool to recognize that the lyric process is one that both precludes and transcends the experience of art.