from Sierra Vista Herald/Review
Giving old books new life: Bisbee preps for annual Altered Books Show and Auction
By Emily Ellis
BISBEE — In the age of tablets and smartphones, hard copies of books have become a thing of the past for many — something to stuff in a closet or toss in the dumpster.
But in Bisbee, artists are giving such forgotten books the star treatment.
Bisbee’s annual Altered Books Show and Silent Auction, a Friends of the Copper Queen Library fundraiser, returns to town this month for its eighth year. The event showcases works of art made from books that are auctioned off to raise funds for the library. Anyone can submit an art piece for the auction, which have ranged from lamps sculpted to resemble famous literary characters to dresses made of book pages in the past, said library program coordinator Alison Williams.
“To me, even before I worked at the library, it is the best art show in Bisbee,” she said. “A variety of artists build these amazing things. ”