by Samantha Hanchett, Thomas County Public Library
Some of our club (left to right: myself, Sandra P., Frances T., Tiffany L. & Jennifer V.
Rolling out of our third year joining the ranks of the Book to Art Club, I couldn’t be more thrilled with how our small group has grown and maintained. I first ran across this concept back in 2018 and I thought it was brilliant – a combination of two of my passions: art and literature. Working in a public library, I was a bit shocked that we didn’t already host a book club and I really wanted to start one, but the competition is fierce in Thomasville and I didn’t want to offer just another book club to our adult patrons. Then BAM! Book to Art Club – a book club with a twist. I decided to reach out to its brainchild and give it a chance. It hit the ground running right off that bat, but like most things, went through its peaks and valleys (not to mention a tumultuous time of not happening/trying it virtually during the 2020 months, you know the ones).
What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez project - inspired by Picasso's depictions of grief and emotion
Severance by Ling Ma - inspired by Dave Pollot's transformed thrift store paintings and various photographers who inspired Ling Ma's NY Ghost blog
In the end, here we are. Half of our members have been with us from the beginning, half are new to the club and we get a random one trying out here and there, but the whole journey has been so fun! Choosing books for the year (my club likes that I choose and take them out of their comfort zones) and seeing them create something uniquely their own from the project I present to accompany the discussion each month always blows my mind. My group is all across the board, some who think themselves artistically-challenged (totally misguided) are so talented and creating a work of art really helps us look at the novel we just read in a fresh way. One of our members even used one of her works in the State Fair art competition this year and was awarded first prize!
Sin Eater by Megan Campisi - inspired by Beth Lipman's Magical Thinking still life sculptures
All-in-all, Book to Art is a fantastic way to forge a connection and open discussion through literature, which is a main goal of the public library and myself. Books are a powerful tool to open the mind and expand our ways of thinking, breaking down walls and opening doors to exploring topics that are ‘touchy’ in a place we feel safe and forging relationships between those you wouldn’t think possible. Combined with visual art, this pathway to higher-level of consciousness is taken even further. As James Baldwin said, “The artist is present to correct the delusions to which we fall prey in our attempts to avoid this knowledge [of our inescapable, universal and extreme states of being]”.