How an independent library found its home in Echo Park
Welcome to Heavy Manners Library, an art space and lending library providing accessible art education to the public
Just off of Sunset Boulevard and Alvarado Street, and a few short steps from the Edendale Branch Library, you’ll find Heavy Manners Library, an independent bookstore and lender of rare art books.
The DIY project began in the fall of 2021, as founders Matthew James-Wilson and Molly Soda began collecting materials for a book on how the internet had shaped contemporary art over the last 30 years. They eventually sought a place to house their collection, bringing them to an Echo Park storefront that has today become a bastion for local budding and professional creatives.
The book project was eventually shelved, but donations continued flowing in, filling shelves, and bringing the space closer to the duo’s intent of exploring life after the internet. To James-Wilson, walking through a library is not so different from the early years of surfing the web — unsure of what surprise awaits behind a link, or beside a book, and free from the confines of algorithmic curation.
In response to growing costs associated with higher education, the library’s primary mission is to provide accessible art education to the public. Visitors can sit and read from the collection for free, attend events or workshops, or become a member to borrow the books.
James-Wilson was ultimately undeterred by the challenges of starting a library from scratch, something he saw as a reliable and time-tested model. “Just being excited about sharing books is kind of the main thing you need to prioritize,” he said. “That‘s what’s beautiful about a library is it can be as big or small as you want it to be.”
The DIY project began in the fall of 2021, as founders Matthew James-Wilson and Molly Soda began collecting materials for a book on how the internet had shaped contemporary art over the last 30 years. They eventually sought a place to house their collection, bringing them to an Echo Park storefront that has today become a bastion for local budding and professional creatives.
The book project was eventually shelved, but donations continued flowing in, filling shelves, and bringing the space closer to the duo’s intent of exploring life after the internet. To James-Wilson, walking through a library is not so different from the early years of surfing the web — unsure of what surprise awaits behind a link, or beside a book, and free from the confines of algorithmic curation.
In response to growing costs associated with higher education, the library’s primary mission is to provide accessible art education to the public. Visitors can sit and read from the collection for free, attend events or workshops, or become a member to borrow the books.
James-Wilson was ultimately undeterred by the challenges of starting a library from scratch, something he saw as a reliable and time-tested model. “Just being excited about sharing books is kind of the main thing you need to prioritize,” he said. “That‘s what’s beautiful about a library is it can be as big or small as you want it to be.”
