Banned Books Week Celebration

Art Reveal & Reception

Winners of the 2023 Banned Books Week Open Artist Call will be recognized, and their winning artwork will be revealed at this celebration.

In celebration of Banned Books Week, artists submitted original art representing books or authors who have been challenged, censored or banned. Their submissions represent the ongoing struggle for intellectual freedom and the dangers of censorship. We now invite the public to come see the winning artwork, meet the artists, and receive a pack of trading cards featuring the winning pieces.

This program will be moderated by Dr. Sean P. Connors. Dr. Connors is an associate professor of English education at the University of Arkansas. His scholarship and teaching focuses on comics and the application of diverse critical perspectives to Young Adult literature. He is the editor of The Politics of Panem: Challenging Genres, a collection of critical essays about The Hunger Games series, and co-editor of Teaching Girls on Fire: Essays on Dystopian Young Adult Literature in the Classroom.

The winning submissions were selected by Fayetteville Public Library staff and the library’s Art Committee. The artwork will remain on display at the library after the ceremony. Light refreshments will be provided.

Banned Books Week is a national yearly celebration of the freedom to read; it highlights works that have been banned or challenged in schools, libraries and communities. It is sponsored by several organizations, including the American Library Association, American Society of Journalists and Authors, Freedom to Read Foundation, and more. It is endorsed by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. This year’s celebration is scheduled for October 1-7.