June 13, 2024
The exhibition, Books Undone 2: The Art of Altered Books, features books transformed into art objects and showcases 64 works by 41 artists from across the United States.
Lenig’s work is titled “Da Capo” (pictured at right), which is an Italian musical term that means “from the beginning.”
“I’ve always been drawn to paper goods — old books, vintage magazines, the etchings in dictionaries — the ephemera that hides in storage bins, flea markets and even trash cans,” Lenig said. “This particular piece is built from vintage sheet music that I found on campus in the music department. Gallery shows like this one give a voice to this kind of work and provide an outlet to bring new life and meaning to used paper goods.”
Books Undone 2 presents a diverse and compelling collection that captures today’s cultural time and place. Viewers can discover themes such as social justice, climate change, the human experience and more through beautiful, book-based forms. Featured works are varied in form and concept and include books made into full-sized dresses that scrutinize domestic violence, book installations that examine wrongful convictions, erased books that bring awareness to the loss of natural ecosystems, sculptures that probe the loss of history, and intricately twisted book pages that investigate motherhood.
“As professors we are constantly asking students to push themselves, to try new approaches, to be brave. My piece ‘Da Capo’ reflects those ideals back onto myself,” Lenig said. “This is not the kind of work I traditionally do. It is very important to me as a teacher, designer and person to make sure I am echoing in my own work what I ask of my students. It builds and keeps trust in the classroom.”
Lenig’s work will be on display at the Gallery at Penn College through July 21. For more information, visit www.pct.edu/gallery.