Altered books at your library!

What is an altered book? And why would someone want to do that to a book?

"Marigold" by Hayley Miller

From Wikipedia: An altered book is a form of mixed media artwork that changes a book from its original form into a different form, altering its appearance and/or meaning.

There is something that feels sort of rebellious and edgy about altering books. It seems to go against our deeply-ingrained love and respect for books – but it’s really about appreciating books in a different way. Most people who create altered books truly love books.

Alice C. Sabatini Gallery staff members Brea Black and Zan Popp teach Altered Book Workshops at the library every fall. Each workshop focuses on different techniques for altering books, and this year I was honored to be a guest teacher.  The workshops are followed by an exhibit of altered books created by our talented community members.

"Storm of Tears" by Eileen Novelly & Erica Armesto

This year's Altered Books Exhibit is currently on display in the Rotunda just inside the entrance to the library and will be available for viewing through Sunday, November 8th.

You can also view altered books from previous years in the Altered Book Archive.

There are really no “rules” to follow when altering a book, and it's really fun to do!   An altered book can retain its book format – or it can be completely remade into something entirely different from a book, such as jewelry, a sculpture, or even a birdhouse.

"For the Birds" by Ramona Smith

There are lots of different approaches to creating altered books.  Some artists work with a concept or theme. For example, a friend of mine recently created an altered book around the theme of things she had left behind. So she had a page spread that represented where she had grown up and another that represented her years of raising children. In this case, the book retained its book format. Other book artists use the parts of the book as raw materials and the results may or may not bear any resemblance to a book!

If you would like to try your hand at altering books, we have some excellent books filled with lots of great ideas in the Arts & Crafts neighborhood:

And just in case you can't wait until you can get to the library, here is a good online resource:    http://gomakesomething.com/category/ht/ab/

We have received repeated requests for more Altered Book workshops, so I have been deputized by Brea and Zan to teach two additional Altered Books workshops coming up in January and February 2016, and they’ll take place at Crestview Community Center. (Watch Library News or check the Parks and Recreation catalog for registration information.)

Rest assured - no serviceable books are harmed in these workshops!  We use only books that have been retired from the library's collection after a long and happy shelf-life.

"Outside the Wardrobe" by Gemma Hatty