Recovered Book Collection
3 Hardcover Books, Screenprint illustrations on book linen
This project consisted of rebinding and covering 3 annotated books from my high school reading list, centered on themes of female friendship, motherhood, and feminism I selected Wide Sargasso Sea, The Bean Trees, and Wuthering Heights and created lace-like illustrations of central motifs to emphasize their connections to feminist themes. The back covers feature dedications to the teachers who taught me each book, noting what they taught me about literature and feminism.
“Ms. Richter,
For teaching me the importance of truly complex female characters in literature. Ms. Richter taught “Wide Sargasso Sea”, the prequel story to Jane Eyre, illuminating the story of the “mad woman” in the attic and giving a voice and story to the overlooked female character. Ms. Richter taught literature with the sensitivity and openness necessary to foster curiosity and vulnerable discussion with her students. The first day of class I sat next to Lauren who would, in this class and over discussion of “Wide Sargasso Sea”, become my best friend. Thank you Ms. Richter for fostering friendship in your classroom.”
“Mrs. Hubbard,
For teaching me the power of literature to communicate identity and build empathy. Mrs. Hubbard always chose impactful books for us to read, which presented stories illuminating the hardships of others’ lives. The Bean Trees impacted me as a story of identity and self discovery. It inspired me as a story of personal growth and has stuck with me for the 6 years since reading it for the first time.”
“Mrs. Mead,
For teaching me the power of books to bring people together. Discussing and reading books in her classroom brought me closer to good friends and built a community. Reading Wuthering Heights in Mrs. Mead’s classroom taught me patience as a reader, to keep reading, even when a story doesn’t connect with me from the first page.”
