An immersive exhibition that invites visitors to step inside an artist Donna Castellanos’s imaginative world, where once discarded books are transformed into vibrant works of art and interactive experiences celebrate both visual creativity and the written word.

The exhibition unfolds as a journey through the Book of Wonder, a multi-chapter environment that encourages deep looking and fosters the creative spirit. From the Book of Nature, featuring paper poppies assembled from book covers, schools of paper fish, and an immersive schoolhouse, to Read the Room, a cozy living room adorned with bookbinding chair rails and a life-size dog made of recycled materials, each space encourages playful discovery.

Describing what inspires her bookwork, Castellanos explains, “I want others to be able to see and experience what I see when I flip through an old book that has had its own journey, that has been touched, held, and read by many different people. Not just the written words inside the book, but its history, its previous owner, the beauty of the bindings, the embossing, and the wonderful illustrations.”

Castellanos’s art, fashioned from salvaged books, found objects, and personal keepsakes, offers witty, imaginative, and thought-provoking reflections on people, animals, and abstract forms. Her work extends beyond passive viewing, engaging audiences as active participants. Reinforcing her belief in the importance of participation, Castellanos emphasizes, “I want people to feel they have been invited and welcomed to freely express themselves, be part of the conversation, to share their thoughts and experiences in a creative way.”

Visitors are encouraged to complete partial portraits from vintage history illustrations, collage artworks from clipped encyclopedia entries, and weave short stories to include in the gallery’s library, adding their unique voices to the evolving exhibition.

A celebrated mixed-media artist, Donna Castellanos (American, born 1966) works across painting, sculpture, jewelry, and clothing, often giving overlooked materials new life. Her sculpture, Bertha, I’d like to know where you got the notion, was featured in THE OUTWIN 2022: American Portraiture Today at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery and earned the People’s Choice Award when the exhibition traveled to Springfield in 2024.

Book of Wonder, Cover to Cover is sponsored by PeoplesBank and supported by the Springfield Cultural Council and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.