During August, the Moorestown Library will be displaying the artwork of Moorestown native Richard P. Weiford Sr. The 1939 graduate of Moorestown High School begin painting in his 20s and has had his art included in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Susquehanna Art Show, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Cooperstown Art Association, to name a few.
Since the library was built in 2014, it has let local artists display their work every month. The artwork varies each month from photography to different kinds of paintings. For Weiford, his work contains oils and water colors, lithographs, clay and stained glass.
“When we opened the library in 2014, a resident came to me with the idea to display all of his work for the public to see it,” said Library Director Joseph Galbraith. “We had such a huge turnout and positive feedback that I got to thinking that it would be a really cool idea to dedicate this space to any resident in town that painted or took pictures.
“We would allow anyone who wanted to display their art do it for a month at a time,” Galbraith continued. “It has taken off to a huge success. We have gotten to the point where the wall is fully booked 18 months in advance with a different artist every month. I was really surprised at the number of people in the community that were artists.”
The success of the art exhibit has turned the library into a miniature museum. According to Galbraith, it has made a big impact on the community with many residents just going into the library simply to see the new art for the month.
“The public really loves this,” said Galbraith. “There’s sometimes people who just come in to see the art. A lot of our exhibitors use social media to let people know about their art so their followers come in to see. This is also the new book area as well, so when people are browsing for a new book they turn around and appreciate the art. It’s been a nice thing for the community.
“It’s really not an ideal gallery space, but it works,” Galbraith continued. “It’s one of those things that we’ve just fallen into by accident and it’s been nice. I’m really pleased with the results, we’ve had some really great artwork here over the last four years.”
Those who want to see the new exhibit from Weiford can visit the library at any time. Also, residents who want to showcase their art can go to or call the reference desk at the library and sign up for the next available month.
“I’m totally amazed at the talent in Moorestown,” said Galbraith. “If you want to showcase your art, we would love to have you.”
