Leigh Horner’s new art series called “Altered Books” will be on display at the Haines Brewing Company on First Friday. The art form gives discarded books new life, Horner said.
Altered Books
Haines School librarian Leigh Horner is transforming old, discarded books that would otherwise end up in the landfill into aesthetic and practical art pieces.
Horner uses and combines pages from various books into elaborate paper mache pieces and light switch covers. She’ll have 14 pieces on display and for sale, with prices listed in the Dewey Decimal System, at the Haines Brewing Company on First Friday.
Horner’s interest in the “Altered Books” art form began during a book purge at the school’s library.
“I was having middle schoolers help me recycle,” Horner said. “They take the books and rip out the pages and put the pages in the recycle. This one student sat in the corner and cried. I felt so bad. I said ‘I can’t save them all, but maybe I could save a few.’ I started saving a few and making things out of them.”
On display will be a piece with pages from Henry James’ “Turn of the Screw” and what Horner said is an improved version of “The Giving Tree.”
“I have a sculpture from The Giving Tree,” Horner said. “Some people love that book. The boy is just so selfish, so I made it better.”
The Bookstore
Haines’s new bookstore, “The Bookstore,” is hosting its grand opening March 6 during First Friday celebrations.
Blues musician Sammy Burrous, a recent transplant from Juneau, will perform during the 5 to 7 p.m. gathering in a space bookstore owner Amy Kane said she’s excited to finally unveil.
Kane purchased the store from its previous owner in October. Since then she’s renovated the shop with new bookshelves, a new paint job and a laminate floor.
“The fun part has been re-envisioning the space,” Kane said. “I’m excited to get more feedback that will help me grow in areas I may have overlooked. I hope people like the changes.”
Kane said her stock is focused on titles published in the last two years, Alaska-focused books, and children’s books and toys along with cards and stationary printed from small presses.
Like many in town, Kane is hoping the stock will arrive in a timely manner.
“Hopefully most of the books will be here that I ordered,” Kane said. “The mail system has a little bit of learning curve on it, but I think I’m getting it.”
Kane said her regular hours will be Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. beginning Saturday, March 7.
“The Bookstore” is the third book seller to open in the space since former owners of “The Babbling Book,” Tom and Liz Heywood, sold the store in 2017.
Oscar nominated shorts
The Haines Arts Council will be screening Oscar-nominated short films during three evenings in March. The dates are still being decided, but available for viewing will be five films in each of the three genres including live action, documentary and animation.
Oscar winners include the 7-minute animated short “Hair Love,” about a father trying to style his daughter’s hair for the first time.
The 40-minute documentary “Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (if you’re a girl),” is about young girls learning to read, write and skateboard in Kabul, Afghanistan.
The 20-minute live action “The Neighbors’ Window,” tells the story of a middle-aged mother whose life begins to change after she begins peering into the window of two free-spirited young people who recently moved in across the street.
The films range in length from seven to 40 minutes.
Steel Magnolias
The Lynn Canal Community Players will perform Robert Harling’s comedy-drama “Steel Magnolias” March 6,7 and 8 on the Chilkat Center Stage.
The all-female cast including Margaret Sebens (Truvy), Marie Boisvert (Annelle), Carolyn Goolsby (Clairee), Cheryl Mullins (M’Lynn), Regi Johanos (Shelby) and Annette Smith (Ouiser) play the parts of six Southern women and the bonds they develop over three years. Much of the play is set in a hair shop in the 1980s in Chinquapin Parish, Louisiana.
Lorrie Dudzik and Judith McDermaid are co-directing the play. The play was made into a movie in 1989 starring Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Julia Roberts, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis and Shirley MacLaine.
Duzkik said the actresses have been rehearsing since mid-January. Friday and Saturday nights’ shows are at 7 p.m. and the Sunday matinee is at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12 at the door.