Old and neglected books got a second life as art pieces at the second annual Upcycle Book Project in the Yorkton Public Library last Saturday.
The event was built around the theme of recycling. The library provided a bevy of books that, for whatever reason, don’t receive much circulation in the community. Instead of throwing the novels, biographies, and textbooks into the dump, the library decided to turn their surplus of ignored books into an arts expo.
Upcycle began last year at the library. Chief librarian Meagan Richards said she was scrolling through Pinterest when she was inspired to create a book-based craft. Tonia Vermette with the Yorkton Arts Council saw the piece and she and Richards chose to start the Upcycle event and fill the library gallery space with people’s literature creations.
“It looked like a lot of fun,” Richards said. “We decided [this project] would fill [the gallery] perfectly.”
Participants used scissors, glue, paint, and an assortment of craft supplies to bedazzle their books. Janel Kindratsky created paper flowers and pasted them to the cover of a book.
“I just kind of played around with it,” she said. “It was fun.”
Richards got in on the action and created several keepsake boxes. She hollowed out books, glued the pages together, and filled the empty spaces with paper roses and cranes.
“I think it went really well,” she said. “It’s something different.
“Ripping up books is usually something you’re not supposed to do.”
The repurposed book art pieces will be displayed in the library gallery for the month of February.
