Uh-oh, we’re not in Hollywood anymore. Dorothy’s slippers are silver, not ruby. Toto gets around on a pushcart. The Wicked Witch of the West, no longer green-skinned, sports crimson dreadlocks and a bulging telescope for an eye. The brick road is still yellow, but in its midst are “dainty China people” -- porcelain clowns and jugglers -- as well as "hammerhead" creatures with extendable necks and no arms.

"I worried that 'Wizard of Oz' fans were going to burn it in the streets," says Graham Rawle of his book, "The Wizard of Oz" (Counterpoint Press), whose painstakingly surreal illustrations push the boundaries of creative license even as they reclaim L. Frank Baum’s century-old property from that fearsome lion known as MGM.

Despite the British collage artist’s fears, the book has sent its audience over the rainbow, inspiring the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) to collaborate with Rawle on a first-ever exhibition of his "Wizard" work.

So the Yellow Brick Road will be right in our backyard. And Rawle, perhaps with Toto in tow, will be winging in from the U.K. to open the exhibition -- aptly titled “ ‘The Wizard of Oz’ According to Graham Rawle.” (A reception and book signing will be held at MCAD on Friday, May 22, from 6 to 8 p.m.)

In the MCAD Gallery, the photos that Rawle took of his handcrafted sets -- making use of everything from Pringles cans to spray-painted asparagus -- will be up to 9 feet wide.

In addition to these massive reproductions, some of Rawle’s original figures -- including the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion -- will be on display, though only for a limited time. (The artist, understandably, is a tad possessive of his creations.)

Like the movie, the exhibit is structured so that the pre-Oz Kansas scenes appear first, and in black and white. Beyond that, Rawle’s work has little to do with the 1939 film that became better known than Baum’s book in most quarters.

During a March visit to MCAD (where I'm an adjunct instructor), the London-based Rawle explained that he finds the "Wizard of Oz" movie to be "the most perfect piece of storytelling ever," but felt compelled to depart from its relatively even-tempered tone.

"In the movie," he says, "one doesn’t get a very strong sense of contrast. The 'dark' scenes aren’t terribly dark. Whereas in fairytales such as Baum’s, the idea of going into the dark forest -- confronting a monster -- is a metaphor for delving into the unconscious. That way, when the characters come back into the light, they’ve learned something of value. That’s what I tried to reinstate."

Among the dark discoveries in Rawle’s work -- besides characters such as the Quadlings and Kalidahs, cut for the film -- is the reason for the Tin Man’s lack of flesh. If kids get scared -- and I’d guess they won’t -- that would be OK with Rawle.

"I’m not trying to invent a world that will appeal to everyone," he admits. "And I have never thought that my version is going to outlast the movie. It’s not a universal statement. It’s personal."

Indeed, for an artist with courage, heart, and brains, there’s no place like home.

"The Wizard of Oz According to Graham Rawle" will be on display at MCAD May 22 through June 28.