 Well, what makes a book a book? Is it the words, the illustrations, or the form it comes in? The New York Mills Regional Cultural Center's latest exhibit looks to expand the meaning behind a book's binding. Mal Meyer has a story for this week's in focus from New York Mills. The book is art exhibit has been open for about a week. It currently features artists from Fargo, Duluth, Moorhead, and even Manitoba. There's a lot of different art forms that are represented in the show that questionably could be books or not. As with many of the shows, the Cultural Center hopes to get people questioning what they're viewing. It's kind of fun to just think about art in different ways and books in different ways. For example, this series of 3D mixed media pieces are included in the exhibit. We have a second grade teacher from Moorhead, Paul Arson, he's got some really whimsical fun things. Another one of the artists featured is a gallery curator, Jill Johnson. She gave a nod to her Swedish heritage by making thin dresses with faint writing. A lot of variety and really challenging what books are. The center hopes to include other artists and non-artists alike. They're looking for people to lend the center their own books for an additional installation. So whether it's an old family book or if it's an old Finnish Bible, there's a lot of Finnish people in our area or any language for that matter. The curator will be putting together the piece. Some of the older, more delicate books will be displayed but not touched by exhibit goers. She was sure to say that books will not be harmed or will be very careful with them. She says the center has reached out to people before to contribute to the exhibits as part of their core mission values. That celebrating the local piece is really all about making those connections to community and community is not just New York Mills. It's our surrounding region. Our reception for the gallery will be held on December 3rd from four to six. In New York Mills with this week's in focus, I'm Mal Meyer, Lakeland News. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.