Artist Noah Davis told his neighbors in his stretch of Washington Boulevard — dominated by kitchen-supply stores, upholstery shops and barred-up storefronts — that he was going to open a library. And he did, building ceiling-high shelves and installing a chair or two on top of a cowhide and a Persian-style rug. Books about performance artist Ana Mendieta, assemblage in SoCal or iconic abstractionists like Mark Rothko line the walls, often facing forward so that you can see the cover. There are no set hours, though there may be when Davis and artist Karon Davis, his collaborator, achieve nonprofit status for Inner City Avant Garde, the exhibition space just beyond the library. But if the door is ajar, or someone answers your knock, you can go in and read about art for a while. 3508 W. Washington Blvd., Arlington Heights, 90018. (323) 989-9925. —Catherine Wagley

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