Letter from the Guest Editor

When exhibited, handmade-paper works, particularly sculpture, morph and shift with the perception of an audience both expert and novice, evolving their meaning and changing perhaps their physical shape over time. The past few years have seen a resurgence in exhibitions of works in and of paper as their focus. How are curators and artists making decisions and approaching their work? The theme of paper as concept and how it is realized through exhibitions, curation, and creation of work is what this issue of Hand Papermaking explores.

We begin with Marie McInerney—who created a paper-sculpture installation that she constantly adapted to its physical space over the period of nine months—and connect her work with artists such as Melissa Jay Craig who provides a paper sample from her installation, recontextualizing and bringing it to the readers of this publication. Artist-curators such as Anne Vilsboell and Amy Richard share their experiences curating and orchestrating exhibitions that toured continents. Lars Kim and Steph Rue speak about curating hanji “exhibitions” in the space of a clamshell box. Barbara Landes and Paul Sullivan present three artists whose paper sculptures delve in abstraction in different ways. Kerry Downey takes us on a sublime journey of their work and the challenges of documenting paper in time and space, while Eliana Blechman tackles the ardous subject of cataloging works on and of paper through the lens of process. The issue closes with two book reviews, and a sample of flax paper with the story behind its making by Maria Zytaruk and Brian Queen who used Helmut Becker’s flax seeds and guidance. We end with a salute to Becker’s life and work with an obituary by Helen O’Connor.

In a changing world with a changing climate, artists are turning towards handmade paper to work sustainably and find deeper connections with the planet. As public interest in this material grows, so does its presence in art spaces.

Radha Pandey

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