Julia Strand rescues discarded books and refashions them into topographical landscapes and three-dimensional collages of the original contents. Out-of-date reference books or damaged books might no longer be valued for their contents, but by reshaping them with simple tools such as tweezers, precision cutters, and glue, Strand gives them a fresh opportunity to be appreciated. In an increasingly digital age, Strand draws attention to the physical form of books to help others see them in new and unexpected ways. 

Strand’s book art has been featured in magazines such as American Craft and on websites from Boing Boing to Recycle Nation; it is also included in the volume Art Made from Books: Altered, Sculpted, Carved, Transformed (Chronicle Books, 2013). She lives in Northfield, Minnesota, where she is also a Professor of Psychology at Carleton College.