Ben Ortiz and DJ Rich Medina present "Collecting Hip-Hop" at Gallery Night, Friday, June 7

Tompkins County Public Library’s celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Hip-Hop comes to an end June 7 as Ben Ortiz and DJ Rich Medina present “Collecting Hip-Hop at Cornell” in conjunction with Downtown Ithaca’s Gallery Night.

This illustrated presentation will offer an introduction to Hip-Hop history and culture, provide an overview of the items included in Cornell University’s Division of Rare and Manuscript’s Hip-Hop Collection and offer a candid explanation of why Hip-Hop is important to Cornell University Library and its influence on American culture.

Ortiz, the assistant curator of Cornell University Library’s Hip-Hop Collection, and Medina, a 1992 Cornell grad will present “Collecting Hip-Hop at Cornell” at 6 p.m. in the Library’s BorgWarner Community Room.  TCPL’s acclaimed exhibit, “Top2Bottom”, a collection of photographs by legendary Hip-Hop photographers Tony Conzo and Ernie Paniccioli and Hip-Hop memorabilia on-loan from local collectors, will serve as the backdrop for the presentation. This is a last opportunity to see this exhibit before it is taken down.

The exhibit is accessible from 5 to 8 p.m. on Gallery Night.  Afterhours access to the Library will be through the BorgWarner Community Room entrance, behind TCAT’s Green Street bus shelter.