The Friends of Art Library Deco Blog
The Friends of Art Library Deco Blog
The Friends of Art Library Deco Blog is your go‑to source for news, updates, and stories from our organization. We share highlights from upcoming and past events, behind‑the‑scenes insights, and ways you can get involved in supporting our mission. Stay connected with our community as we celebrate art, creativity, and the library’s ongoing work.
Austin, TX — May 22, 2025 — The Texas Digital Library (TDL) is proud to present the Excellence in Digital Libraries Award to ART | library deco, honored for its outstanding contributions to digital curation, access, and the preservation of African American cultural heritage. The award was formally announced at the Texas Conference on Digital Libraries, held May 20–22, 2025.
August 2025
ART | Library Deco has reached an inspiring milestone: more than 100,000 virtual visits as of August 30, 2025. This achievement, confirmed through the library’s web analytics, reflects the growing impact of the platform as a cultural and educational resource.
From the very beginning, ART | Library Deco has been committed to preserving and sharing knowledge at the intersection of art, archives, and digital scholarship. With a focus on the Black experience and broader cultural histories, the virtual library offers exhibitions, curated collections, and research that are accessible to audiences across the globe.
This 100K milestone is not just a number—it represents a vibrant community of artists, scholars, students, and supporters who believe in the power of archives and creativity. It also demonstrates the vital role that virtual platforms play in ensuring equitable access to cultural resources in the digital age.
As the library continues to grow, its mission remains clear: to serve as a living archive and a meeting place for knowledge, culture, and innovation. Every visit, every subscriber, and every supporter helps sustain this vision for future generations.
✨ Support ART | Library Deco ✨
Your contribution helps sustain ART | Library Deco as a free and accessible space for art, archives, and cultural scholarship. Every gift—big or small—fuels exhibitions, digital resources, and research that celebrate and preserve the Black experience and global creativity.
Together, we can keep building this living archive for generations to come.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 23, 2025
Friends of Art Library Deco Officially Registered as Texas Non-Profit Charity
On May 23, 2025, the Friends of Art Library Deco proudly announced its official approval and registration by the Texas Secretary of State as a Texas Non-Profit Charity Organization. This milestone marks the beginning of a new chapter in supporting arts, literature, and cultural preservation in Texas. The organization is committed to fostering community engagement through library initiatives, educational programs, and artistic collaborations. Friends of Art Library Deco looks forward to serving as a creative and cultural resource for Texans for years to come.
We’re thrilled to announce that Voyage Austin Magazine recently published a compelling profile of our founder and director, Dr. kYmberly Keeton, titled Daily Inspiration: Meet Dr. kYmberly Keeton, on August 4, 2025. She was featured in the "Change-Makers: Stories That Inspire" series.
The article opens with Dr. Keeton’s early academic pursuits in cultural preservation, which grew into ART | library deco: a pioneering Texas-based virtual library dedicated to curating and archiving African American creative heritage.
Dr. Keeton discusses how her doctoral work (PhD in Information Science & Interdisciplinary Studies, earned December 2024 at UNT) shaped her vision to build an inclusive, digital platform that elevates Black arts and archives.
Voyage Austin spotlights ART | library deco as a vibrant digital repository where cultural histories and creative works are preserved with intention, context, and authenticity.
📖 Read the full interview here: Daily Inspiration: Meet Dr. kYmberly Keeton – Voyage Austin