Ecology and Paper — Guest edited by May Babcock

The Winter 2023 issue of Hand Papermaking shows how hand papermaking is in a unique position to address the degradation of the planet and contribute to a future that values and re-integrates all of nature and humanity. Papermaking is a cultural activity that connects with nature, after all. And enduring cultural activities like papermaking often have far-reaching social power that can invite communities to live well with places.

This issue features a wide-ranging look at artists whose work goes beyond creative self-expression to remind us how to live respectfully, learn together, and be creative in a way that is ecologically and socially beneficial. This includes:

• Hannah Chalew's work based on Louisiana’s floating marshes graces the cover, and inside, a “plasticane” paper sample.
• Artist Sheila Nakitende's innovations with regenerative Ugandan bark-paper.
• Mikayla Patton, who repurposes outdated books about indigenous nations for compelling artworks that reconnect with Lakota cultural practices
• Traditional bamboo papermaking in the Dao Đỏ community in Việt Nam.
• Mary Hark’s work with ecosocial enterprise in Ghana that nurtures new papermakers, along with a paper sample and a preview of an illustrated papermaking training manual.
• Advancements in mushroom paper by Tanja Major, featured in the Haus des Papiers museum in Germany.
• A sweeping overview of Taiwan’s papermaking journey through local fibers, from colonization to adaptation.
• How human rights, the United Nations, and sustainability intersect in Brazilian artist Otávio Roth’s work, and are continued by his daughter Isabel Roth.
• An exhibition at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts that expands the definition of paper arts by reconnecting distinct bark-paper traditions.