“San Antonio is in the middle of a renaissance.” So says Hugh Daschbach, culinary concierge of Hotel Emma at Pearl.

Where is a book transformed into artwork and a library transformed into a museum? In January and February of 2016, the gallery at San Antonio Central Library became a Book Garden ~ a home to oversized southwestern lizards, busts of Renaissance men, Zen rocks and other sculptures, all created by Taiwanese-born artist Long-Bin Chen. On first glance, most people think the carvings are made from marble or stone - but in fact they are sculpted from books and magazines.