Date Of Visit: March 28, 2026
Location: Springfield Museums, 21 Edwards St, Springfield, MA
Websites: Springfield Museums
Summary: Donna Castellano’s Cover To Cover repurposes books to make meaningful interesting works of art.
It’s a shame that once you read a book its no longer of any use. Unless, you’re Donna Castellanos.
Donna, a native of Elmhurst, IL, has been using old books and other repurposed materials to make art for many years. All of her art on display, which includes a variety of subjects, has one thing in common: books.
Donna told me her evolution to working with books was a gradual evolution. Initially, she was working with found objects and other repurposed objects. Then, during the 2010s, she began incorporating books into her artwork. Castellanos cuts, folds and binds parts of books to create her art. While the works of art on display aren’t necessarily entirely made of books, they all have parts of books incorporated into them. As you go through the photos it may be hard to believe these works of art are made out of, at least in part, books. They look like any other work of art.
One of the major themes of her work is family. You can feel the love and respect she has for her family and those closest to her in many of her works.
Fair warning. Due to the large volume of art pieces, this is a long post. So, buckle up!
This work of art was displayed in the main entrance to the museum. It is just an introduction to Donna’s work.
At the entrance to the The Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts where the main exhibit is located, there were these works of art.
“Due Date” (2025) is made of book cover cardboard, library date due cards (does anyone else remember these?) and found objects.
“School Books” (2025) is made of illustrations from the 1987 Die Galerie Der Fische book and vintage encyclopedias and book covers. All of the fish in the work of art are all actual fish such as balloon fish, electric fish, frog fish, football fish, lungfish, butterfly fish, red fish, blue fish, etc.
Donna created “House Mouse” (2022) out of book covers.
In the literature accompanying the art work, Donna writes that reading a book for the first time can feel like stepping into another world. While reading from cover to cover, it is easy t be transported-swept into new settings, illustrations and ideas that take us on an immersive journey. Most importantly, by engaging with stories we not only connect with the authors and illustrators who created the books, but with the people around us when we share them.
As you will see in her works of art, much of Donna’s work is drawn upon from her personal experiences and popular culture. Through some of interactive work and her imaginative creations, she draws people into her world and her creative mind.
“Fall Asleep Reading Sheep” (2025) is an example of Donna’s creative mind. It is made of book bindings, salvaged table legs, papier-mache and wood.
“Picking Spring Flowers in the Spring Field” (2025) is made of 1895-1896 Hampton County Biographical Review books, found objects, springs and crystals. They look like real flowers to me.
Animals, flowers and other works of art lined the hallway of the museum. But, we’ll get to them later.
First, let’s take a look at some of the art in the Wheeler Gallery. The Wheeler Gallery has a variety of diverse art. One example of this unusual art is “A Fluffle” (2025) made of doll heads, found objects and book covers. Their names are Faith J Lory, Beulah B.B., Ada and Wilma.
Donna used her real life experiences when making “Cicada Invasion” (2024). She has lived through 4 Cicada invasion while she has lived in Illinois. While many people find cicadas disgusting and the noise of them deafening, Donna finds them to be fascinating. She remember when her family went to have a picnic in the older part of town where the invasion hit the hardest. Instead of grass, Donna said all you could see at the park was cicada shells.
Keep in mind, all of this art has been made, at least, in part of books. It’s really easy to forget how much of Donna’s amazing art work is made of basic materials.
One of these more elaborate works of art is “Little Red School House” (2025-2026). The idea for the “Little Red School House” came from Donna’s school vacations. Yes, her vacations. Her family and she would often stay at a motel in their favorite vacation spot of Baraboo, Wisconsin. The motel was aptly called the Little Red School House. And, although it may seem the last thing some kids would want to do during their school vacation, Donna would play “school” while on vacation. This work of art is made of plywood and book covers. Even the squirrel, who is reading a book, is made of books.
Inside the school house are some lights. “Turn On Your Frog Lights” (2025) is a reference to Donna’s childhood. Donna and her brother would try to catch as many lightning bugs as possible. Her brother thought it would be interesting to feed the frogs lightning bug and see what happens. Apparently, it was quite a sight to see, The frogs stomachs would light up after being fed the lightning bugs! “Turn On Your Frog Lights” is made of book covers and biology transparencies.
Another work of art in the Wheeler Gallery is “Gas Light” (2020) which is made of book covers.
Art can be a very subjective thing and may hold special meaning we don’t see at first glance. “XO When We Gather” (2025) has very a very special meaning to Donna. The piece, which is made of encyclopedia covers, Gather missal covers from Mary Queen of Heaven Church and book screw posts, was made to honor her father. The piece honors her father’s last day. The black area which may look like a shadow is meant to represent her father. In a way, it is also a shadow. As it is the shadow he left behind. Donna’s father passed away while mowing the lawn. The church books that form the picnic table represent the gathering of the people in your life around you in love and support when there is a death. The picnic table was a big part of their lives growing up. It was a place where they gathered with friends, family and neighbors creating loving memories.
“The World In Your Garden” (2025) and “How It Works” (2020), both made of encyclopedia covers, are reminders of Donna’s childhood. Before video games and the internet, Donna and her family and friends would spend hours in the backyard with the garden hose, whipping buckets of water at each other and filling water balloons.
“She’s All A Flutter” (2019) is made of a vintage photo, embossed book cover cardboard and encyclopedia butterfly illustrations.
The “Nature Book Series” (2022) has some famous people and personalities in their works of art. You may recognize a few of them!
From the top (left to right) they are “Prince”, “Beauty School”, “Eggstra Eloquence”, “Fun Guy”, and bottom from left to right are “House Fly”, “Fly Away Hair”, “Fish Tank”, “Charmer” and “Shell Shocked”
“Tree Of Knowledge”, “/red/Sky” and “Tree Of Wonder, Chapter Book of Men and Women” (from left to right) were made of book covers, pages, and bindings from encyclopedias. These works of art look like they could be paintings or perhaps even enhanced photographs. The “Tree Of Knowledge” (the first work of art from left to right) has an especially special meaning to Donna. The encyclopedia she used had an embossed image of a boy and girl. She decided these books would represent the big, huge maple tree in the backyard of her childhood home. The tree served as her hangout and fort. Her brothers, sisters and she would climb up the tree and nestle in the middle of the branches and talk for hours. The tree has five distinctive branches, one for each sibling, that stretch out like fingers on a hand.
“Bookworms” (2025), made of hole punched book covers and book cover cardboard, is another reminder of her childhood. Catching bait for fishing was a big part of her childhood. Her father used to flood the yard the night before their fishing trip. In the morning, they would go out into the yard barefoot and pull the worms out of their holes. The past summer, she put her family to work punching out and stringing these worms together.
Made of vintage encyclopedia illustrations and acrylic on old military cot, “Busy Bearded Bees In History” (2019) is a tribute to historical men who had bees. Donna made the beards into bees.
You may have to look very closely or zoom in to see the details of these works of art to see get the full meaning of their names. The work of art at the top is “Scapegoat.” The bottom row from left to right are “Political Landscape”, “Sheepscape” and “Eggscape.” They are made of embossed book cover cardboard, bookbinding materials and encyclopedia illustrations.
“Do You Hear the Blue Bird?” (2019) is made of book covers from the 1950s American Encyclopedia.
“The Cardinals Rules” (2025) is a tribute to her father and others who have passed away. Made of book covers, the cardinal is a nod to the belief that these birds carry the spirits of those who have passed. Donna said that whenever she sees one she always says “Hi Dad.” She said they always seem to appear at the right time when you need a hug or assurance that everything is going to be ok.
“Too Many Fish in the Sea” (2019) is made of encyclopedia fish illustrations, a fishing basket, fish hooks, fish net and wire.
“For Whom the Bell Tolls” (2025) is a tribute to the classic work of literature by Ernest Hemingway. The work of art consists of a vintage doorbell and a copy of the For Whom the Bell Tolls.
“Communitree” is another work of art with special meaning for Donna. The piece, which is made of book covers, bindings and pages from the 1950sWorld Book Encyclopedia, was an idea that started at one of her art parties. She had multiple dictionaries available for her friends to flip through. She asked them to choose words that best described themselves, her, family or friends. Then, they pasted these words on the tree. The tree is an ongoing project that is constantly being added to. If you look closely, or zoom in to the picture you can see words on the tree.
“Ms. Michell Vaillancourt” (2019) is made of encyclopedia bindings, encyclopedia pages and an egg carton.
As a side note, as I was putting this post together, I kept feeling amazed at the work of art Donna is able to make with such few materials.
“Doorman” (2025) is made of a salvaged door and Encyclopedia Britannica covers.
“Bless This House” (2025) is handwritten poem Donna found inside a book page inside a wood frame with gold leaf and book pages.
This was originally a song written by Helen Taylor that was published in 1927. It has been covered by such well regarded singers as Perry Como. The words are also listed below if you can’t read them in the poem.
“Bless This House”
Bless this house, O Lord we pray,
Make it safe by night and day…
Bless these walls so firm and stout,
Keeping want and trouble out…
Bless the roof and chimneys tall,
Let thy peace lie overall…
Bless this door that it may prove,
Ever open,
To joy and love…
Bless these windows shining bright,
Letting in God’s Heavenly light,
Bless the hearth, ablazing there,
With smoke ascending like a prayer!
Bless the people here within,
Keep them pure and free from sin…
Bless us all that we may be,
Fit O Lord to dwell with thee…
Bless us all that one day we may dwell,
O Lord! With Thee!
“Golden Book, Golden Life” (2023) is made of book covers, gold leaf, gems, vintage Japanese gold foil, ink, watercolor and thread. Donna created this book for an Andy Warhol-themed art exhibit. And, yes, this work of art did win best of show!
Being from an advertising background, Donna has always been attracted to Warhol’s early graphic design work, especially the gold and glitz. There was a point in Warhol’s life when he realized he did his best work when it was something personal to him; he painted what he knew. With this work, Donna wanted to represent her own life and story in his style.
I didn’t recognize what these really were when I first saw them. At first glance, it looks like a work of art with a group of people. But, look closer. There are light switches at a certain part of their bodies!
Made of book covers, light switches and wood, “Turned On Turned Off” (2017) was Donna’s first biggest work of art and the oldest in this exhibit. The piece was inspired by Swiss-German artist Paul Klee, this was one of Donna’s first pieces she created with book covers, combining them with found objects.
The light switches came from an estate sale of a man who was an electrician. One of the areas of a home she likes to explore is men’s work and hobby rooms. At the estate sale, she found an old, beat-up dresser with various tools and “great junk.” The bottom drawer was completely filled with these vintage light switches. She bought the whole drawer!
The photo below shows Donna’s “Five Foot Shelf of Books.” It includes the fish called “Look At Me (red herring)” 2023, the owl at the end of the shelf called “BooBook Owl” (2026), book covered exercise clubs called “Book Club” (2025), paper mache book covered paper plates and several other works of art.
There is also a sitting area, well not a real sitting area. Rather, a chair, light, telephone (I had a phone like that) and a cute little pup! The wall coverings were made from 20th century Swedish Bible pages from The Good Book”, “The Good Book Poppies” and “Men With Hats.” Again, all of these were either in part made of books or used books to cover items.
The Reading Chair is a salvaged chair, covers from the 1940s The World Book and Encyclopedia Britannica encyclopedia sets and gold leaf.
Cyclo, the dog, is made of chicken wire, paper mache, 1920s Collier’s Encyclopedia set and 1960 World Book encyclopedia set.
“Facetime” is a vintage wall clock with clock parts and encyclopedia covers.
“Look into the Lexicon” (2025) is a vintage mirror and early 20th century German encyclopedia covers.
The Book Rack has a vase with flowers, a scarf, pocketbook and other objects all made at least in part with paper. The rug is made of encyclopedia pages and book covers.
“Should I Wear A Headband?” (2025) is made of book headbands. Donna said that when she deconstructs a book, she tried to save as many elements as possible, including the headbands at the top and bottom of the spine. She learned from the Library of Congress that these little cloth tabs are called “headbands.” During the 17th and 18th centuries, they served a purpose and also became an ornate signature for book publishers and makers. She used these headbands to make this skirt and top and shoes.
“Roger R. Grant” is a sculpture of the author from his repurposed books.
“Birds Of America” is a commentary on the “Twitter and Twitter Files controversy.” She found it funny that people were getting so upset about it.
“IKey” (2025) is a statue of their cat “Ikey” made of chicken-wire, paper mache and encyclopedia set covers. The cat’s name was derived from her father’s nickname, “Ike.” Sadly, he died the same night they adopted her.
Many of the works of art didn’t have a lot of details or explanations. Below are a list of some of the works of art that only had their names listed and the items used to make them next to them.
“Peggy Steuhholt Loves to Dance in Her Leggings” is made of book covers, book bindings and book illustrations.
King Richard of the Word is made of dictionary covers, alphabet tabs and vintage photographs.
“Re-Illustrated History” (2019) is a collection of 1920s Collier’s Encyclopedia covers and illustrations.
“Little Less Conversation” (2020) is made of book covers. Although I’m not sure that is possible.
“Organ Donor” (2024) is made of wood pipe organ pieces and medical book illustrations. I’m no doctor. But, the parts of the body in the center of the work of art such as the shoulders and ribs seem to match up!
“Give a Dog a Bone” (2024) is made of 1930-1950 medical book illustrations and book cover cardboard. He looks like he could use one.
“Knowledgeable Bearded Man in Hat aka Alfonso (2021) is made of encyclopedia covers. It is also a portrait of her husband.
“Ghostwriter” (2025) is made of Nancy Drew covers, encyclopedia covers, typewriter keys and pen tips.
“Small Pendant Light” (2025) is made of crystal lamp parts and encyclopedia covers.
Those are all amazing and thought provoking works of art. But, out of all of these works of art, there is one that stands out above the rest. Donna’s favorite work of art is Saint Joan (2024) made of book covers, encyclopedia covers and gold leaf which she is standing next to in the photo below.
Saint Joan is a tribute to Donna’s mother, Joan. In a world polarized by politics and racial and religious divides, Joan was a good book you would want to read, Donna wrote about her mother, keeping with the book theme. As the world feels like it is slipping away from family and morals, we could all take a lesson Joan’s workbook.
As a young woman, Joan had a calling to become a nun. But, after meeting her future husband, God spoke to her and said “Who said being a nun is the only thing that would make happy?” God told her marrying the man she met and having a family would also him happy. Tragically, she lost her soulmate, leaving her a young widow. But God calmed her by telling her it was not about her. It was about him.
Joan’s passion for reading and learning made the medium of salvaged books an easy choice. Each person in the work of art represents a new chapter. The five children and 10 grandchildren are all visible in the painting. You can also see things that people in her family like or were known for such as musical instruments, sporting goods and a lawnmower (more on that later) in the painting.
A companion piece to “Saint Joan”, the “Saint Joan Scrapbook” (2024) is made of book covers and paper scraps. While Donna was working on “Saint Joan”, she took a moment to cleaning up the growing pile of scraps. As she was sweeping them off, she saw a fun image appear in the mess. She quickly glued it down on a spare book cover. These little doodles became a fun little break for her as she worked on this rather emotional piece. She dated each board so you can see which part of “Saint Joan” she was working on.
Another part of the exhibit is a collection of doors fittingly called The Doors. The idea came to Donna after she finished an exhibit featuring the work of 1940s Surrealist artist Gertrude Abercrombie. Gertrude painted doors and Donna painted a lot of doors for the exhibit. Later, when Donna was invited to the Rock and Rolled Show, Donna wondered how many songs have “door” in their lyrics. The answer is a lot. But, the exhibit only includes 23 of them. Donna thought about songs and bands she liked from her era. From “Lookin’ Out My Back Door” to “Paint It Black” the majority of the songs have a rock theme. The door color was based on the color of each album the song was recorded on (for young people those were circular devices that songs used to be recorded on and played back later wow I feel old) particular lyrics with door in them are printed at the bottom of each door.
There are also some fun interactive parts of the exhibit that are interactive. In this part of the exhibit, you can create your own works of art! Visitors were encourage to finish making drawings of the figures on the pieces of paper. Donna collects all of the drawings people make and includes them in her collections from her travels.
Outside of the museum is another work of art by Donna called “Rubberland,” This exhibit reuses bicycle parts to make art.
Donna’s works of art will be at the Michele and Donald D’amour Museum of Fine Arts at the Springfield Museums until Sep. 6. She may also be making a visit to the museum this summer. Check the museum’s website for more details.
What better to post to leave a review from an author from New England! I finished reading Joyland by Stephen King recently. Below is a spoiler free review.
Reading Joyland was like being on a joyride. Sorry for the bad simile. But, don’t let the genre fool you. Joyland is more than just a scary tale. While it is a horror story, Stephen managed to write it in a way that still had some warm and even wholesome moments. In fact, some of the most memorable parts of the story are not related to the horror story. The horror aspect almost seems like an afterthought. If you’re looking for a seat of your pants, tense horror thriller, this isn’t your book. But, I think it displays King’s ability to branch out and tell a well thought out coming of age story (wow I’m really wearing out the cliches here).
You can read the full review, spoilers and all, here: Joyland Review
New England Nomad 