Through the years the St. Agnes Library has featured many local artist’s exhibitions. It has become something our patrons look forward to seeing with each visit. With our temporary closure due to COVID-19, we want to share artists' work so that everyone can experience some beauty in their life.

Gautam Jain (GJ) is a longtime Upper West Side resident. He is a self-taught amateur photographer who started taking pictures with a film camera, Nikon N6006. He currently uses a Nikon D850. His pictures have been published by National Geographic Your Shot and PhotoVogue. He actively posts his pictures on Instagram (@gjtravelphotos).  The pictures here are part of a series titled "New York Stories," which we hope to display at St. Agnes on 82nd Street in November 2020.

Looking to read New York stories? Check out these books:

• The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
• Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
• The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
• Breakfast at Tiffany’s  by Truman Capote
• Open City by Teju Cole
• Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler
• Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
• Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
• The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
• Jazz by Toni Morrison
• Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue
• ​M Train by Patti Smith
• My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor
• Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
• The Colossus of New York by Colson Whitehead
• Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
• The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X and Alex Haley
• A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

The artist, Gautam Jain, owns the copyright to all the images shown in this blog post.

Are you a local New York City artist interested in having a digital exhibition? Please reach out to AshleyGonzalez@nypl.org.