Thank a tree with Leigh

Leigh Maynard - Hopkinton Town Library

Sorry for the absence from the blog, submissions are flying in from all over the world to our new Patternotion book and keeping me occupied day and night. We've even received 3 absolute crackers from New Hampshire artists, Tom Hosmer, David M Carroll and Laurette Carroll.

FreedBook continues its journey through the snowy landscape of this fine state, in fact you'd have to say it has New Hampshire's motto of 'Live Free or Die' at its heart. So nothing could be more apt than FreedBook's latest stop at Hopkinton Town Library where it's found itself in the hands of the charming Leigh Maynard.
Leigh is the librarian for the children's section and every November she has a project during National Recycling Week. Her project, "LOVE BOOKS? THANK A TREE", entails taking recycled children's books, placing them in bags with brightly coloured yarn loops attached and hanging the bags on easily accessed trees limbs around the town of Hopkinton to create a scavenger hunt for children (between the ages of 3 to 10). The children who find the books can keep them, and there is a book mark too, which the children can take to the library and enter in a raffle for two friendship bracelets, one for the finder and another for a friend.

Grabbing a magnetic artwork in E17
 

Its heartening to see projects like Leigh's flourish and to know there are similar ideas germinating across the world like our partners at Books For London. We too have participated for the past 3 years in Walthamstow's 'Art Grows on Trees' with the dynamic Katja Rosenberg and CollectConnect's very own 'good egg' Dean Reddick. Where it's always great fun to meet up with artists who are prepared to give their art away for free and brave enough to place their work right under the public's noses.

Leigh's been very kind to give us two thumbs up, both to Books For London and to the serendipity of the FreedBook project.

If she ever needs any arty surprises in her Love Book Bags then I'm sure we can organise some colourful magnetic artworks for her literature loving children.
What do you say!

AL.