(Photo courtesy of A6)

Artists from across the U.S. and abroad explore the rich theme of Relics & Ruins in unusual book forms for A6’s 3rd Biennial International Artist Book Exhibition.

For people who are unfamiliar with artist books, the exhibit is an eye-opener. “These works may look like a book or function like a book, but they also test our notion of what a book is,” explains A6’s Executive Director Dawn Boone. Gallery visitors will find books of molded paper, altered books, finely-crafted letterpress books, and sculptural books meant to be viewed in the round.

Juror and book artist Ann Kresge of Salem, Oregon selected a tunnel book by Jamie Shafer of Reno, Nevada for the Best in Show award. Shafer’s 17927 describes a 20th-century “company town” in the mining region of Pennsylvania that vanished at the whim of the government. The book’s title refers to the town’s zip code that was also deleted.

PLAYA at Summer Lake has supported this biennial exhibition since 2015, bestowing a four-week artist residency at PLAYA to the Best in Show winner.

Local artists represented in the exhibition include Kelley Salber of Sisters, Oregon and Jane Qualey of Bend, Oregon. The exhibit features artists from Nevada, Hawaii, Florida, Washington, and Oregon, as well as England and Italy.

Also on display in March, Featured Member Barbara Hudin exhibits prints from her Visions and Signs series. Hudin’s prints use creative combinations of encaustic, drypoint, ImagOn and “Processing” computer code. Hudin will be pulling prints during the First Friday reception.

Admission is free to the A6 Gallery. The exhibit is available for viewing during regular business hours: Monday-Friday 10-7 pm, Saturday 10-6 pm and Sunday 12-5 pm.

A6 Studio & Gallery, 550 SW Industrial Way, Ste. 180, 541-330-8759,www.atelier6000.com