Hand Papermaking Staff
Tom Bannister is the Executive Director of Hand Papermaking. Following short
stints as a tour guide, radio announcer, and Jungle Cruise captain, Tom owned
and managed a typesetting and graphic design firm throughout the 1980s in
California. He studied book arts at Oregon College of Art and Craft in the early
1990s and began publishing Book Arts Classified. He moved east and became Hand
Papermaking's first full-time employee in 1995.
Mina Takahashi is the Editor of Hand Papermaking. Formerly Executive Director
of Programs at Dieu Donné Papermill in New York, she directed artist residencies
and publishing projects, curated exhibitions, and collaborated with artists in
the studio. Trained originally in Japanese papermaking, she teaches and consults
on the artistic and craft applications of hand papermaking across the country
and internationally.
Shireen Holman edits the newsletter and manages the office at Hand
Papermaking. She is also a printmaker and book artist whose work is shown and
collected nationally. She has received awards and grants for her artists' books.
Shireen has served on the boards of Pyramid Atlantic and Maryland Printmakers,
and is a former editor of Maryland Printmakers' InPrint.
Mary Tasillo handles outreach and keeps our newsletter listings
up-to-date. Mary is a prolific artist, very active in the book and paper
communities, with an MFA from The University of the Arts.