Portland artist Mark Bernahl has put one “altered” art book among the collection in the downtown Central Library and it’s up to you to find it. Look to the right for what the book might look like, or click the link above for more of Bernahl’s work. As he puts it: “The book can be anywhere in the library stacks. For the person who finds it, it is theirs. Inside the book is a letter asking the person… to enjoy it for a year and put it in another library for someone else to find.”
Bernahl’s put 10 books in 10 different libraries. In the past, he’s left books in public places for people to find, leaving a note inside asking the finder to let him know where they found the book and where they plan to leave it for someone else to find (we did this once, leaving books around San Diego with a note asking whomever found it to write up a short review and send it to us; no one cooperated—losers).
Arts editor Kinsee Morlan and I both agree: if either of us found one of Bernahl’s books, we’d have a tough time letting it go—they’re that pretty.

