Courtney Smith/Arizona Daily Wildcat Fine arts graduate student Jessica Drenk discusses her unique art exhibit 'Reading Our Remains,' designed specifically for the UA Main Library. 'Reading Our Remains' was selected for the 2005 Centennial Sculpture Award as a yearlong public art piece on campus.

One man's trash is another man's treasure.

That could be the principle fine arts graduate student Jessica Drenk used while creating her latest work, "Reading Our Remains," an installation of hundreds of altered books bound together with wax, water and glue.

Drenk was all smiles yesterday as she spoke about her installation, which she said encompassed all of the nature that had been absorbed into her mind.

The display is part of the 2005 Centennial sculpture, which commissions an artist and displays the work for a year, according to a press release.

After working with books in her artwork for four years, the Montana-bred artist wanted to create a work that would inspire curiosity and wake students up from the daily daze of everyday life, Drenk said.

The project evolved naturally after spending her summer cooped up in her studio for six days a week, Drenk said, calling the creative process an "organic functioning of my mind, spilling out into the studio and into this space."

We aren't used to seeing everday objects turned into art - Alec Schluender, fine arts senior

The inspiration for the art was derived from a love of books as a form of knowledge, an enthusiasm for nature and an affinity for natural history museums.

Drenk wanted to create something different. Instead of students reading books, they would be looking at them, Drenk said.

Rather than focusing on one genre of books to employ in her art, she decided to use a variety of books to exemplify the different types of texts one can encounter in a library, Drenk said.

The artistic process forces you to question yourself, while also learning new things about yourself, Drenk said.

Alec Schluender, a fine arts senior, complimented the piece because of its unconventionality and use of juxtaposition.

"We aren't used to seeing everyday objects turned into art," Schluender said.

Traditionally, you have more classical works of art on display in a university setting, Schluender said.

"I think that it's not what I was expecting. It's interesting and very organic," said Jil Morley, a studio art junior.

Emily Jantzen, a women's studies sophomore, said she had Drenk as an instructor for one of her classes and she decided to go to the opening out of curiosity.

It was interesting seeing where her former instructor was coming from and proves what experience she has had in the field, Jantzen said.

Drenk is pursuing her master's in sculpture and attended Pomona College in California before coming to Arizona.