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'Story Art' Tells Tale at Essex Library

What do you get when you mix together great books with talented young artists? You get an art exhibit titled Story Art, made up of pieces created by Valley Regional High School (VRHS) students (and a teacher), on exhibit at the Essex Library now through June 30. The student artists picked one of their favorite books and created a piece based on the book. Some chose to paint a scene as they imagined it taking place; others created art that reflected feelings their books inspired in them. An unusual feature of the exhibit is that the books from which the artists took their inspiration are on display with the art and available for checkout. The titles range from classics like Heidi and 1984 to junior and Y.A. fiction like Daughter of Smoke and Bone and Mrs. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. The mastermind of and curator for the exhibit is VRHS junior Avery Carlson.

Carlson is an avid reader herself and a longtime patron of the Essex Library. When asked about her motivation for creating the show, she said, "I wanted to put together this exhibit to, in a way, promote reading. Reading is so important in the world, yet people aren't doing it as much anymore. Authors put ideas and imagination in the heads of readers, and in the fact-oriented world we have today, authors play a huge role in preserving these things. With every book read, more ideas are created and more knowledge is taken. We need to keep this precious ritual of reading books, talking about them, analyzing them, and recommending them in our culture. Books are so important to people, even if they don't realize it. That is why I created this exhibit. More people need to realize their importance."

The artists whose works are displayed across from the Circulation Desk are John Capezzone, Maria Capezzone, Sarah Carey, Avery Carlson, Eme Carlson, Caroline Madden, Claire Madden, Zoe Mattheissen, Cassie Miles, Melody Pond, and Lori Sullivan. The exhibit is open to the public during regular operating hours; Essex Library is at 33 West Avenue.