HAND PAPERMAKING

NEWSLETTER

Number 111, July 2015

Newsletter Editor: Shireen Holman

Advertising & Listings: Mary Tasillo

Columnists: Sidney Berger, Maureen and Simon Green, Elaine Koretsky, Margaret Mahan, Winifred Radolan, Mary Tasillo.

Hand Papermaking Newsletter is published quarterly. Annual subscriptions are $55 in North America or $80 overseas, including two issues of the journal Hand Papermaking. For more subscription information, or a list of back issue contents and availability, contact:

Hand Papermaking, Inc.

PO Box 1070, Beltsville, MD 20704-1070

Phone: (301) 220-2393 Fax: (301) 220-2394

E-mail: info@handpapermaking.org

Web: www.handpapermaking.org

The deadline for the next newsletter (October 2015) is August 15. Please direct all correspondence to the address above. We encourage letters from our subscribers on any relevant topic. We also solicit comments on articles in Hand Papermaking magazine, questions or remarks for newsletter columnists, and news of special events or activities. Classified ads are $2.00 per word with a 10-word minimum. Rates for display ads are available upon request.

Hand Papermaking is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Staff: Tom Bannister, Executive Director; Mina Takahashi, Magazine Editor; Shireen Holman, Newsletter Editor and Office Manager; Mary Tasillo, Outreach; Suzanne Oberholtzer, Design Director. Board of Directors: Tom Balbo, Zina Castañuela, Jeffrey Cooper, Kerri Cushman, Susan Mackin Dolan, Mary Hark, Steve Kostell, Kate Martinson, Anne Q. McKeownJulie McLaughlin, Alta Price, Amy Richard, Michelle Samour, Eileen Wallace, Teri Williams, Erin Woodbrey. International Board of Advisors: Yousef Ahmad (Qatar), Timothy Barrett (US), Simon J. Blattner (US), Kathryn & Howard Clark (US), Mandy Coppes-Martin (South Africa), Jane Farmer (US), Peter Ford (UK), Helen Frederick (US), Peter & Pat Gentenaar (Netherlands), Simon Barcham Green (UK), Dard Hunter III (US), Kyoko Ibe (Japan), Winsome Jobling (Australia), Elaine Koretsky (US), Carolina Larrea (Chile), Roberto Mannino (Italy), Beatrix Mapalagama (Austria), Bob Matthysen (Belgium), Giorgio Pellegrini (Italy), Brian Queen (Canada), Victoria Rabal (Spain), Vicky Sigwald (Argentina), Lynn Sures (US), Aytekin Vural (Turkey). Co-founders: Amanda Degener and Michael Durgin.

 Dear Hand Papermaking,

Some stories are just too bizarre to go around telling. We were evangelical missionaries in the Philippines for 20 years. We developed a church based/community based enterprise program, called Village Handcrafters, to help impoverished churches and communities become self-supporting. One of the products we trained the people to make was handmade paper from banana plant fibers. We had about 20 papermakers in the program and this supported 10 churches and provided jobs to about 48 full time workers. When we began processing the banana fibers we cooked them over a wood fire in a small pot. Then we needed bigger and bigger pots, and eventually came to a point where we needed a better system for cooking large quantities of fiber. The best solution was a steam system, and that meant a boiler.

A boiler. I knew nothing about boilers except they are big, hot, expensive, and they are found in Canada where you have 11 months of snow and one month of bad sledding. But this California boy was boiler-challenged. Where would one find a boiler in the Philippines? This is not exactly a country where central heat is a priority. A boiler, right, good luck finding that one. At this point this story gets crazy. The associate missionary who was working with us at the time attended a small barrio church near us. A Filipino banker was pastoring that church. Our associate mentioned to Vern, the pastor/banker, that we were looking for a boiler. I don’t know how the subject came up but it seems that the least likely person in the world to ask about a boiler is a pastor in a depressed area. So what did Vern say? He calmly looked at my associate and remarked, “I have a boiler and I could give it to you.” 

It turned out that Vern was not just a banker and a pastor, but also an entrepreneur. About ten years earlier he was approached by a Korean Christian who had a plan for an exciting new product that was going to sweep Korea and he needed a Filipino business partner to run the production side. The product was liquid goat. I am not making this up. Liquid goat! The Korean wanted to use high pressure steam to vaporize goats and turn them into this cool carbonated soft drink. I still have trouble visualizing not just the process but the product. Can you imagine having some friends over on a hot summer afternoon for a barbeque and yanking some cool ones out of the ref, “Who wants a goat?” 

From what I was able to understand the liquid goat industry didn’t exactly take off. By now the two partners in goat had built a large building, imported a huge stainless steel steam system from Korea, installed it, and had actually made their first frosty goat drinks. They had the ultimate satisfaction of being the first to pop the lid and down the goat. Then they just stared at each other. Was it satisfaction and the joy of accomplishment? No, it was the realization that liquid goat was not very good. Actually it was horrible. The Korean went home and was never heard from again. Vern locked up the giant glistening food facility and got on with his life and then one day while pastoring his church this American missionary says to him, “Do you know where we can get a boiler?” 

Two days later we toured the deserted food factory and saw not just a large boiler but large stainless steel cooking vessels and piping and motors and pumps and spinners and more. We just stood there amazed with our mouths open and with perspiration dripping from our faces. I am sure glad he didn’t offer us a goat. The bottom line is that Vern visited our papermaking facility and loved the ministry. He then donated the entire steam system to us.

Before we went to the mission field I did what many thought was a foolish thing. I quit my secure job with the San Diego Fire Department and packed up my wife and five children and headed off to Bible school in Canada. While there for three years I studied the Word and waited on God for directions. I also worked on summer staff to help feed the family and in doing so I got to know many of the behind-the-scenes workers who kept the Bible school running. One of the people I met was Art, a steam engineer who ran their big boiler and kept our classrooms warm when the temps dropped to 40 below. Now, 20 years later, with a steam system we didn’t know how to set up and use, I remembered Art and sent off an e-mail to the school. Art decided to use his vacation to come over and help us. He repaired everything, tested it all, hooked it up, and trained us. When he left we had a fully functioning steam system. It worked flawlessly over the years, helped us cook over ten tons of banana fibers, and helped keep impoverished churches alive. 

In addition to the steam system, we made our own moulds and deckles, two 10-pound beaters, and one 800-pound beater with a diesel engine and 1-ton beating head, which we made from an abandoned school bus. 

One day in Heaven I envision Vern, Art, and myself sitting down together, having a nice cold goat, and marveling how God used each of us to aid needy churches and communities through handmade paper. 

Ed and Janet Landry 

Nashville, Tennessee 

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Dear Readers, 

Here in Iran we started a papermaking studio about two and half years ago named Kaghazgari-e Tehran (Kaghazgari is the Persian word for papermaking). We now make various kinds of paper from rice straw, wheat straw, cotton, and mulberry tree bark. We also experiment with natural dyes, and sizing with gelatin and starch. We are using a Hollander beater we bought from Mark Lander, and we use other equipment (vats, moulds, dryer) which we have made ourselves. It has been a fascinating journey; since no one here has done this before it has also involved many complexities. Our sources for learning what we know today have been books, magazines, and the Internet. 

Now we make artworks using handmade paper and have begun collaborating with some hand printers. We are also planning to start workshops in the city to introduce this art and craft to more interested people. 

My story with handmade paper started long before starting Kaghazgari, when, in 2010, I wrote a book for teenagers about papermaking principles and how to make paper at home. 

We have a Facebook page where you can see some of our works, events, and photos (www.facebook.com/kaghazgari) and you may also contact me by email. 

Ali Pezeshk 

Tehran, Iran 

ali@kaghazgari.com 

ali.pezeshk@gmail.com 

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Early on May 5, Minoru Fujimori died peacefully at age 98. A sixth-generation papermaker born in 1916, he took over the family business in 1945 determined to continue the tradition of washi papermaking despite difficult times following the war. Over the decades his Awagami-branded washi gained global recognition (see www.awagami.com). In 1983, to promote washi culture, he established annual summer workshops at the mill, teaching Awa washi to visiting international artists. Awagami exists today because of Minoru Fujimori’s courage, creativity, and determination. The family will continue to preserve this most ancient and honorable Japanese craft.

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> ALONG THE PAPER ROAD... 

This regular feature offers paper musings from Elaine Koretsky—renowned paper historian, researcher, and traveler. In this column Elaine talks about her discovery in a recent New York Times obituary of the amazing adventures of Professor T.H. Tsien, whom she had previously only known of as a scholar of Chinese books and paper. 

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Recently a colleague forwarded to me an article from the New York Times of April 19, 2015, that he thought might interest me. It was an obituary of T.H. Tsien, a renowned scholar of ancient Chinese books who passed away at the age of 105. I was well aware of his important writings about the history of Chinese paper, but I was unaware of another aspect of his remarkable and fascinating life. He risked his life in order to save 30,000 rare books. 

During the Japanese occupation of China—lasting from 1931 until the end of World War II—Professor Tsien was a passionate young librarian in Shanghai. As the Japanese were increasingly taking control of the city, Chinese scholars wanted to be sure their precious volumes of ancient books, some dating to as early as the first millennium BC, would be safe. These 60,000 rare books had previously been moved from Beijing to Shanghai sometime after the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931, for safekeeping. But after Japan took control of Shanghai in 1937, these books were secretly moved to the city’s French Concession and International Settlement, while the scholars tried to figure out a better location for these cultural treasures. 

The Library of Congress in Washington agreed to take part of the collection. The difficulty was getting them out of Shanghai, since by 1941 the Japanese controlled the city’s harbor and customs office and would have surely seized and destroyed them. However, Professor Tsien was determined to get the books out of China. He struggled to figure out how to get the books past customs. Later in 1941, Mr. Tsien made the fortunate acquaintance of a sympathetic customs agent who agreed to help him. Mr. Tsien secretly packed 30,000 books into 102 wooden crates, labeling them as new books purchased by the Library of Congress. Pretending to be a bookseller, he created false documents to go along with the shipment. The crates slowly left the port of Shanghai, going through customs when Mr. Tsien’s accomplice was on duty. The last crate left China on December 5, 1941, two days before Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. 

Professor Tsien the librarian led quite the life of the undercover hero, risking his life in order to save thousands of important Chinese books. Had his actions been discovered by the Japanese, he surely would have been executed. 

The books arrived safely to the Library of Congress, and in 1947 Mr. Tsien was invited to the United States to retrieve them. But due to unrest in China at that time, he did not return. Instead, Professor Tsien remained in the U.S. to build the University of Chicago’s East Asian book collection. 

The New York Times obituary ends with, “In interviews, Professor Tsien was sometimes asked why he assumed so grave a risk to smuggle books out of China. His reply was simple. ‘It was my duty,’ he said.” 

I merely knew T.H. Tsien as the author of a number of important books and articles related to my own research of early papermaking in China. Therefore it was surprising to learn that the scholarly Professor Tsien with whom I was familiar, so selflessly risked his life to save a valuable portion of Chinese literature. 

> TEACHING HAND PAPERMAKING 

Based in Philadelphia, Winifred Radolan operates an itinerant teaching papermill, and has taught papermaking to thousands of adults and children. Here Winnie teaches beginning papermaking students how to make cast paper vessels. 

Recently I had the privilege of teaching a Cast Paper Vessel Workshop to five first-time papermakers at the University of Pennsylvania’s beautiful Morris Arboretum. Because I had suggested a list of inclusions for potential students to have along, there was no question about identifying workshop participants, who were enthusiastically arriving, arms laden with containers brimming over with fascinating items. I was grateful the classroom space allowed everyone their own table upon which to work and to spread out their collections. 

After my usual round of camaraderie-building introductions and inspirational sample viewing, it was time for everyone to do a fast patty-cake pulp casting exercise, using repurposed plastic fruit dish lids as moulds to shape their casting. I had been collecting these lids, as they were somewhat fluted on the edges and had a center inset that could conceivably frame a small treasured item when completed. 

My demonstration of casting technique included an examination of proper casting pulp hydration, evaluating the pulp-to-water ratio by its visual, tactile, and auditory qualities. The fiber I had prepared was second cut cotton linter, beaten for fifty minutes in the Hollander and sized. A portion of the batch was pigmented a deep charcoal grey. I explained that one way to start was by gathering a golf-ball sized amount of soggy pulp, then tossing this amount from palm to palm several times. This would allow the water present and the hand-to-hand movement to align, tangle, and smooth the fibers. This action is not unlike the vat man’s shake on a screen. The gathering of pulp is then placed in the plastic lid/mould and the process is repeated until one has covered the surface of the lid with a layer of pulp, about a quarter inch in thickness. Water removal by sponge is gradual and incremental, light at first, then firm, until one can press with the sponge and barely see water present. 

After teaching many first time casting classes, I have grown to appreciate the benefits of this simple exercise. It allows people to practice the technique quickly and without concerns about artistic inclusion choices. It gives me a chance to point out what is too much pulp or too little, and when things have gotten too wet or too dry too rapidly. It also gives me the opportunity to anticipate potential assistance people will need, moving forward. 

With everyone’s frame/lid completed, it was time to progress to the cast vessel project. I provided clear plastic bowls with outwardly sloping high sides for everyone’s use. I had purchased them from my local dollar store, generally a good source for many papermaking aids. We discussed the option of mixing the white with the grey pulp to acquire differing tonal variations, or perhaps a “tweed effect,” achieved by partial pulp mixing. I provided several bins for everyone to personalize their pulp color choices. And I took a look at everyone’s inclusion collections, suggesting possible means of incorporating them on the sides of their vessels. 

It was interesting to see the variety of treasures that people brought. Three women had memorabilia from their families, stamps, letters, embroidery designs, and lace. Two others had feathers and various plant materials. All developed their vessels in very personal styles. 

When the castings had been completed and the pressing was finished, students could transport their creations home in the plastic moulds, where they would remain to dry for two or three days. I always advise that the forming of the paper vessels is an initial step, and that they may choose to add further surface design embellishment to enhance their vision. And I always request follow-up photos so that I can see how/if everyone has taken the next steps. I am usually fortunate to receive one or two such photos, generally before any additional embellishment, but always with comments about the enjoyable experience. That is generally my sentiment as well. I was initially less fond of 3-D casting, but I have grown to enjoy the meditative quality of the patty-cake and sponging process that accompanies the creative possibilities of the work, both in the wet and final embellishment phases. 

> PAPER HISTORY 

Maureen and Simon Barcham Green, from the United Kingdom, write a joint column on Paper History. Maureen is a paper historian, and author of Papermaking at Hayle Mill 1808-1987. Simon was the last of the Green family to run Hayle Mill. He provides consulting services to papermakers worldwide. In THE END OF AN ERA: Springfield Mill 1808 – 2015 the Greens recount the history of Springfield Mill, from its construction to its projected closing. 

When James Whatman the younger (1741-1798) sold Turkey Mill and Poll Mill in August of 1794, both his apprentice, William Balston (1759-1849), and his second wife, Susanna (1753-1828), were dismayed by his decision. Having recognized he had little prospect of handing the business over to a son and heir, Whatman had apprenticed Balston in 1774 to learn the trade as a potential successor. His wife, Sarah Stanley (1744- 1779), had given birth to three daughters but suffered from poor health and died in her thirty-sixth year. Whatman’s only brother had not survived into adulthood, leaving no other descending males in the family. For this reason, having studied and worked under Whatman’s watchful eye for nineteen years, Balston had expected he would continue running his mentor’s businesses. 

Instead, Whatman sold the freehold of all of his holdings to Finch, Thomas, and Robert Hollingworth, with a proviso that the brothers offer Balston a partnership share in their new enterprise. For this purpose he provided Balston with a generous sum of £5000 in the form of a loan at 5 per cent interest per annum. 

Over a period of ten years, business at Turkey Mill had prospered, despite an economic downturn. Not only did Balston repay his loan to the Whatman estate, he managed to accumulate “a capital of £15,000.”1 However, a noticeable rift in relations with the Hollingworth brothers became apparent, culminating with accusations of their falsifying the business’s accounts in their favour. Balston was left with little option but to terminate the partnership agreement, but before so doing he secured rights to use the J Whatman trademark while the brothers continued to watermark their papers J Whatman, Turkey Mill. What Balston had decided to do was to build a new state-of-the-art paper mill nearby, and the Whatman trademark would help guarantee a good customer base when the new mill began production. 

Springfield Mill was completed in December 1808 and was described by Thomas Balston: 

Built on rising ground above the Medway, the frontage of this new mill extended for 440 ft. parallel to the river. At its left end was the lofty Drying Room, 126 x 22 ft., built of brick up to 5 ft., and above that weather-boarding, with innumerable closely spaced shutters (louvres) which could all be opened in dry weather and permit a maximum draught. At its right end was the Rag Room, in two stories, 84 x 28 ft. In between was the main building, mostly of one storey, 220 ft. long and varying from 84 to 72 ft. in depth which housed all the other departments, including a Hot Room, warmed with pipes from the boiler, in which William proposed to experiment with new methods of drying paper. Attached to the main building was a small laboratory, 16 x 12 ft., probably a unique feature in a paper mill of that date.2 

Although located in a prime position to take advantage of good transportation routes, the Medway River could not be harnessed to provide the necessary waterpower to drive the mill’s equipment. Instead, Balston commissioned a new “36 h.p. engine with a 42 h.p. boiler” manufactured and installed by Boulton, Watt & Company.3 There were only five other paper mills driven by steam power at the time, and with ten vats, Springfield held the distinction of being the largest mill in operation in the United Kingdom. 

While Balston’s plans for his mill were innovative and ambitious, his new mill was designed to manufacture traditional handmade sheets despite John Hall and his brother-in-law, Bryan Donkin, having adapted and improved a continuous web papermaking machine modelled on Nicolas Louis Robert’s 1799 patented prototype.4 As Springfield Mill was undergoing construction “less than twenty of these machines, with some improvements, were producing one-eleventh of the total output (17,000 tons) of the United Kingdom.”5 Why Balston did not consider installing a Fourdrinier remains a mystery. Instead he carried on manufacturing paper by hand, in the traditional manner. 

An innovator and knowledgeable papermaker, Balston had little time for financial considerations and borrowed heavily to finance the building and equipping of the mill. If it had not been for the kindness and support of Whatman’s widow, Susanna, he would have been declared bankrupt many times over due to owing a staggering £31,000, a debt that he accumulated in less than seven years. For decades, until her death in 1828, Susanna assisted Balston both financially and with day-to-day business dealings. 

Throughout Balston’s lifetime, monetary problems concerning the business were to weigh heavily. It was not until 1829, when Balston was seventy years of age that the mill became a profitable concern.6 When Balston died in 1849 his sons William and Richard continued the business, leasing what was by then a heavily mortgaged mill from their mother and two trustees, Charles Bosanquet and Samuel Robert Gaussen, who had secured the land and businesses in 1814, along with sundry other partners. 

Under the title of W. & R. Balston, the sons managed to secure legal right to the Whatman trademark in 1859 for £7,500. The Hollingworths relinquished the marks J Whatman and J Whatman Turkey Mill on the grounds that these marks had been used solely in the manufacture of handmade paper. By that date the Hollingworths had removed all of the vats from their mills and converted the mills, including Turkey Mill, to machine production. 

Although the Balston brothers celebrated victory in procuring the Whatman name, three years later they witnessed a disastrous fire which all but destroyed the original mill.7 

to be continued in the next issue 

Photos dated 1912, from the collection of Simon Barcham Green. 

1. Balston, T., William Balston Paper Maker 1759-1849 (New York; London: Garland Publishing Inc., 1979), p. 27. 

2. Balston, T. William Balston Paper Maker, p. 47. 

3. Balston, T., William Balston Paper Maker, p. 41. According to Balston, “this engine was delivered; with a few improvements it was to continue in use for ninety years. The beam is still preserved at Springfield.” 

4. Nicolas Louis Robert (1761-1828) developed and patented the first continuous web papermaking machine at Essonnes Paper Mill, near Paris. 

5. Balston, T., William Balston Paper Maker, p. 51. 

6. Balston, T., William Balston Paper Maker, p. 132. 

7. The fire which occurred in November of 1862 was allegedly started by a disgruntled employee whose grievance against the firm threatened the loss of hundreds of jobs locally. 

> DECORATED PAPER 

Sidney Berger, a professor at Simmons College in Boston and Director of the Phillips Library at Peabody Essex Museum, has been collecting and researching decorated paper for over forty years. Continuing his series about individual paper artists, here Sid explores the work of paste paper artist Susanne Krause. 

The next person in my series of excellent paper decorators is not a marbler. She makes paste paper, and she does it brilliantly. Susanne Krause runs the business Hamburger Buntpapier & Buntpapierverlag, obviously in Hamburg, Germany. She became a full-time paper decorator in 1997 after making the papers professionally since the late 1980s. Her main occupation now is making these papers “either from historical models merely colored pastes, slightly manipulated. Some of them were real works of art, with more than mere brushing-on of the pastes and simple manipulation of them. Some of them had geometric or floral touches that were quite beautiful. Susanne has mastered these and has even surpassed the originals. 

That is to say, merely making copies of historical papers was not enough for her. Some of the papers she produces are so lovely they are works of art in themselves and can be framed as you would a painting or fine print. The range of her techniques is impressive, and she excels in all of the patterns she produces. I urge my readers to look at her website to marvel at the papers she makes (www.hamburgerbuntpapier.de; accessed 4/29/15). 

It takes great craftsmanship and artistry to do what Susanne does, but it also takes a deep knowledge of the historical artifact that she is working with. I have always contended that the great artists or craftspeople are those who know the history of those arts or crafts. Then they take the models of the past, learn them well, and go beyond these models to produce even more impressive art. Susanne is in this category. As a scholar of decorated paper, she has written three exquisite books on the subject, each with her own lovely papers tipped in. The first is Paste Paper / Kleisterpapier (this is the German word for paste paper) (Marcham: The Alembic Press, 2002), with German and English text, and with paste paper cover and dust jacket, and 33 beautiful samples tipped in, along with another two pieces of paper (one hand made, the other machine made) showing the kind of substrates she uses. It is housed in a box with another paste paper liner and a paste-patterned cloth on the outside. It is a tour de force of bookmaking and a superb text by two great book people (Susanne for the papers and the text and Claire Bolton of the Alembic Press). 

The second book she did by herself under her own imprint. On page 3 we see Mehr Kleisterpapier, introducing the text in German; and on page 45 the second title page, More about Paste Paper, introduces the text in English (Hamburg: Buntpapierverlag, 2005). This is another lovely volume, with a paste and sprinkled paper cover and fifteen generous samples tipped in. One could miss the end papers—they look black and you just want to flip past them. But the two paste-downs are subtly sprinkled with a beautiful circle of tiny dots of blue against the black. 

A lovely touch. It is worth adding that these attractive books are also informative, since they were written by a master of the craft who really knows what to say and how to say it. In her email to me she says that she “delights in the versatility of the historical craft, making paste paper, sprinkled paper, trickle paper, stencilled paper, brushed paper . . . Decorated cloth for bookbinding and artist’s books are a chance to experiment, combine, invent and push historical techniques towards their limits (still far away).” I can hardly wait to see the next papers from her studio. 

A third book she did with another paper decorator, marbler Ilona Hesse. It is Über Handgemachtes Buntpapier / On Handmade Decorated Paper (Hamburg: Buntpapierverlag, 2007; the text is in German and English), with some of her fine paste papers tipped in, along with other tip-ins of other kinds of decorated papers. Clearly, as with most experts in their crafts, she is a scholar of the history and range of techniques of paper decoration. 

In my columns about paper decorators I wax poetic about the works of these artists. But remember: I have chosen the best paper decorators going, and there is much poetic to say about them. My wife and I host many people who want to see our paper collection. When we pull out the folders showing these artists’ papers, we get the loudest Oohs and Aahs. Susanne gets many of these. 

(Quick footnote: Many years ago I was involved in the consortium of European libraries which asked me to develop a thesaurus of terminology to guide them in cataloging their paper collections. [See my Hand Papermaking Newsletter columns number 72 of October 2005 and number 74 of April 2006.] Susanne was one of the scholar-practitioners present for those discussions over about six years. Her knowledge of the art was immense, she helped us shape the thesaurus, and she was a brilliant instant translator, helping me understand the complex discussions that ensued at the meetings, since my German was good enough for me to get a haircut and a good meal and get some rudimentary directions, but not good enough to understand the technical language spoken by the other participants.) 

HAND PAPERMAKING

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> FOR BEGINNERS 

Mary Tasillo is a papermaker, book artist, and mixed media maven based in Philadelphia. She teaches workshops nationally. Mary describes the making of amate from kozo in this column about how Nicole Donnelly created the covers for the artist book Impossible Map. 

Papermaker and friend Nicole Donnelly has been harvesting Philadelphia kozo. Broussonetia papyrifera is nonnative, but like many tenacious nonnative species, can be found growing through the sidewalk cracks in Philadelphia, or along the banks of the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers. Donnelly decided to try her hand at processing the kozo into amate, a traditional indigenous Mexican paper made by interweaving and pounding fibers into sheet form, for the covers of Impossible Map, a limited edition book designed and published by FactSimile Editions featuring Turkish map folds and the poetry of Jane Wong. (For more about amate see Steve Miller and Martin Vinaver’s article in the Winter 2013 issue of Hand Papermaking, Vol. 28, no. 2; and Carol Tyroler’s article in the Winter 1994 issue, Vol. 9, no. 2.) 

Donnelly produced amate with both Philadelphia and Thai kozo. She cooked the fibers for three hours, as she would for sheet forming, with soda ash at four ounces for every one pound of fiber, followed by significant rinsing. She tested an additional hour of cooking but did not find a significant change in results for this added cook time. Any tough areas of the kozo which turn “red” during the cooking were to be avoided, as they would not pound out. 

The designated sheet size was 6” x 12” and Donnelly found working with the small sheet size to her advantage, as it required less overlapping or piecing together of kozo pieces than a larger sheet would. Her work board was the same board the paper would dry on. She used masking tape to indicate the sheet size, tore the pieces of kozo to the 6” and 12” dimensions of the paper, and then peeled away thin strips of kozo from the wider inner bark strips. These strips were then arranged into a lattice within the masking tape grid, much like a latticed piecrust in preparation for the pounding stage. 

Donnelly began the pounding with the textured wooden mallets she generally uses to beat kozo for sheet forming, but found that the kozo fibers tended to adhere to the mallet, preventing the kozo strands from staying in place on the board as needed. Knowing that pumice stones have been employed in the making of amate, she took a trip to the beauty supply store and had better luck with these pumice stones. 

After tapping the fiber strands into place with the pumice stone, she then began pounding from the center out to the edges, making sure that the stone was hitting the wood beneath the fiber (that is to say, really pounding!). She then pounded in a circular motion, working from one edge of the sheet to the other, first with the pumice stone, followed by a second pass with the wooden mallets. A final pumice round followed to ensure that all gaps in the lattice were closed as the fiber spread out. As a last step, she folded over the edges of the sheet in order to make a strong, more even edge and maintain a consistent sheet size, tapping these out with the stone. 

As she worked, Donnelly discovered that the fresher, local kozo was a fluffier fiber and made beautiful yellowgolden sheets, but the labor involved in harvesting and processing the kozo was prohibitive, so most of the amate for the covers of Impossible Map were made from Thai kozo. She was able to get twenty-seven to twenty-eight 6” x 12” sheets from one pound of fiber; once she had secured her technique, she could create nine sheets in two hours. More information on the editioned book can be found at www .factsimile.com in the Books section, and more about Nicole Donnelly’s work can be found at www.nicole-donnelly.com. 

> more for beginners at 

handpapermaking.org/beginner 

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> PAPER IN ACTION 

Margaret Mahan, a member of the Peace Paper Project, brings papermaking to marginalized communities as a form of social action or art therapy. In this column, Pulp or Burn: Papermaking with Old Glory, Margaret shows how paper can be used to express reverence, protest, or other significant personal and social messages. 

Since I was first exposed to papermaking in 2008 at the Green Door Studio in Burlington, Vermont, I have understood the first and most fundamental step in the process to be selecting one’s fiber. It goes without saying that fiber is central to papermaking, but for the socially engaged papermaker, selecting material with history and relevance to the project at hand is essential. When it comes to fiber content, significance outweighs cellulose. 

With this mindset, and with a dash of abaca here and there, the papermaker is liberated to use whatever materials speak to a particular message he or she is working to express. I have found that the same material can hold thousands of messages, depending on their owners and their past lives before they are processed into pulp. Underwear, for instance, has a social significance imposed onto it. The common denominator might be that this fiber is intimate and hidden most of the time. There is also a private significance of underwear that exists for each person because of that intimacy. 

The American flag is another fiber source that is loaded with messages. My initial impressions of the concept of cutting one up and pulping it were probably similar to the way some people initially respond to panty pulping, in that it did not seem like something I would want to do in front of other people. The first time I saw someone pulp the flag, it was in a statement against American militarism and nationalism. That kind of message attached to that fiber seemed like an obvious choice. What other reasons would a person have for cutting up a symbol like that? 

That first impression of the American flag as a fiber source has evolved rapidly over the past few months. Last summer, my partner and I went to an antique store that was closing in our town to see if we could find a typewriter. Down in the basement of the shop, under an old bathtub, in a puddle of brown water, was an American flag. We picked it up and brought it back to the studio. 

One month later, on July 5th, we noticed that the windy weather the night before had blown the miniature flags from the 4th of July celebrations into the corners of Main Street. Again, on September 12th, after a nasty day of rain, scattered in the road and near the edges of the field where they stood in memorial the day before were hundreds of flags. We took them all back to the studio. 

There is a protocol for flag disposal that The American Legion carries out, especially on Flag Day. The flags are folded, blessed, and burned until they are completely destroyed, and the ashes are buried. It’s a different process than papermaking. But as social papermakers, Drew and I decided to pulp all of these flags as a way of shining a light on America’s simultaneous reverence and irreverence for the flag. In our minds we were giving new life to the discarded flags that we found, and we used this paper as a way to educate Americans about the existing protocol for flag etiquette as well as the evolution of the Pledge of Allegiance. We printed each of the three versions of the pledge onto paper made from the flags, and included ephemera into the pulp that related to the additions to the pledge. For example, we included shredded anti-Soviet propaganda in the pulp that became a substrate for the third version of the pledge, which features the words “under God.” 

While we were pleased with the outcome of our project, we were eager and nervous to see what kind of response it would receive. We immediately found that people who would call themselves patriotic felt positive and excited by the project, despite the fact that we had cut up and pulped flags in the process. Maybe when used as a tool for educating Americans about the significance of the flag, it is okay to make paper out of it. I began to revisit my associations with the act of pulping the flag, and we discussed and shared these pieces in all of our work this past year in the United States. 

I was the most hesitant about showing the pieces and pulping flags at the VA hospital where we do regular programming. As if pulping uniforms was not enough of a milestone within the VA system, we had to pulp flags now, too. Drew, however, was the most curious and maybe even confident about sharing the work with this group. As we went around the room discussing the concept, everyone unanimously agreed that pulping the flags gave new life to them, and that the paper created was close to sacred. This shattered my perception that pulping the American flag must be an inherent act of disrespect. 

Contrary to what one might think, pulping the American flag does not have to be provocative or anti-nationalistic. It is now an alternative to the traditional burning ceremony used by the American Legion. While we were working in San Diego this past May, a Navy veteran from the American Legion attended our workshop with bags full of retired flags. She explained that due to the drought in California and the burn bans in southern California, the American Legion has been unable to dispose of tattered flags through the customary burning ceremony. When she heard that Peace Paper would be in the area and that she could make paper from old textiles, she saw a creative solution to the question of what to do about all of these old flags. 

The American flag, like all symbols, carries distinct meanings for everyone. Some people burn flags as an act of protest, while others burn flags as an act of reverence. The same goes for pulping. Our histories with fiber sources influence the overall message of our papermaking, and making paper with flags offers all members of a society the opportunity to meditate on their personal relationship with a unifying symbol. 

Listings for specific workshops and other events in the following categories are offered free of charge on a space-available basis. The deadline for the October 2015 issue is August 15. Contact each facility directly for additional information or a full schedule. Teachers: Tell your students about Hand Papermaking! Brochures and handouts can be mailed to you or your institution. Email newsletter@handpapermaking.org. 

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> CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS 

1890 Bryant Street Studio 308, San Francisco, CA, www.rhiannonalpers.com, rhiannon.alpers@gmail.com. 

Papermaking: All About the Blues, June 28. Starting with blue jeans, beat and pull sheets of denim fibers. 

Papermaking: Exotic Fibers, July 11. Learn the basics of creating your own handmade paper with exotic fibers from your garden, grocery, and local florist. 

Sculptural Papermaking, July 30 & August 29. Create custom shaped paper sculptures from armatures. 

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN, (865) 436-5860, www .arrowmont.org. Classes and workshops in a variety of disciplines, including papermaking. 

Joomchi and Beyond, August 9-15, with Jiyoung Chung. Learn this traditional Korean technique of layering and agitating handmade mulberry papers to create strong, textural, and painterly surfaces. 

Paper Jewelry, September 13-19, with Aimee Lee. Combine the strength and versatility of handmade papers with Asian techniques of paper thread and cordage to create lightweight and ecologically sound jewelry. 

Art New England, Bennington, VT, (617) 879-7175, http://ane.massart.edu/workshops/, Nancy.Mccarthy@massart.edu. Week-long summer workshops in a range of media. 

Pop-Up Books, July 19 - August 8, with Colette Fu. Learn to incorporate your own art into unique structures as you master the basic elements of pop-up paper engineering and more complex mechanisms. 

Narrative Paper Cutting, July 26 - August 1, with Andrea Dezsö. Explore the creative possibilities at the intersection of paper cutting and storytelling, including composing and cutting two dimensional images, building, lighting, and photographing three dimensional cut paper spaces, and making cut paper stop motion animations. 

Bear Creek Paperworks, Columbia, MO, (573) 442-3360, www.bearcreekpaperworks.com. Workshops in paper and book arts; some workshops can be taken for academic credit through Central Methodist University. Contact Leandra Spangler at leandra@bearcreekpaperworks.com for more information. 

The Boston Paper Collective, Boston, MA (614) 282-4016, www.bostonpapercollective.com. Classes in papermaking and marbling, as well as studio rental and special projects, as well as Decorated Paper Open Studios on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month at 6:00 p.m. 

Carriage House Paper, Brooklyn, NY, (800) 669-8781, www.carriagehousepaper.com. Papermaking workshops offered in a new studio space. Visit website for workshop schedule. 

Pulp Painting, June 20 

Sculptural Papermaking, July 11 

Circle of Life Studio and Summer Gallery, Eagle River, WI, (715) 479-9737, www .circleoflifestudio.com. Offering weekly papermaking workshops June through September, and by special arrangement all year. 

Columbia College Chicago Center for Book and Paper Arts, Chicago, IL, (312) 344-6630, http://www.colum .edu/academics/book-and-paper/index. php. Papermaking classes in spacious downtown studios. 

Dieu Donné Papermill, New York, NY, (212) 226-0573, www.dieudonne.org. Beginning and advanced papermaking classes for adults and children. 

Introduction to Contemporary Papermaking, July 7, with staff instructor. Learn the basic papermaking process, as well as various artistic techniques. 

Creative Techniques for Artists with Open Studio, July 14, with staff instructor. Explore advanced techniques and their application for two- and three-dimensional projects, with a different focus at each session; experiment on your own with studio pulps. 

Fine Line Creative Arts Center, St. Charles, IL, (630) 584-9443, www .fineline.org. Providing year-round classes in papermaking, textiles, and other art forms. 

Japanese Papermaking, June 27, with JoAnne Laudolff. Learn the history and tools of papermaking as well as how to make handmade paper for many applications. 

Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA, (215) 922-3456, www.fleisher.org. Offering workshops and community programs in a range of media. 

Stencil Techniques for Hand Papermaking, Fall 2015, with Mary Tasillo. Explore a range of stencil techniques, from the hand cut to the silkscreen stencil, to build image-based and decorative papers. 

The Hall of Awa Japanese Handmade Paper, 141 Kawahigashi, Yamakawa-cho, Yoshinogawashi, Tokushima 779-3401, fax 81-883-42-6085, www.awagami.com. 

33rd Annual Hand Papermaking Workshop, August 4-8, with studio instructors. Spend five days learning traditional Japanese papermaking methods. 

Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, ME, (207) 348-2306, www .haystack-mtn.org. Workshops in various disciplines, including papermaking and book arts. Scholarships available. Deadlines are March 1 for Residency and Scholarship applicants and April 1 for Regular applicants. 

The Handmade Paper Journal, July 19-31, with Sue Gosin and Cynthia Thompson. Explore Japanese and Western style traditions of hand papermaking and hand bookbinding in combination with contemporary papermaking techniques to create personal journals that record and preserve your experience at Haystack. 

Paper Engineering: Making Pop-Ups and Sculptural Books, Aug 16-28, with Carol Barton. Discover a variety of pop-up structures, beginning with simple cut-and-fold pop-ups and progressing through a series of more complex glued constructions, as well as learning sculptural bindings, and carousel and tunnel book formats. 

Jill Powers Studio, Boulder, CO, jpowesstudio@gmail.com, www .jillpowers.com. Classes in paper and other materials, retreats, and private mentoring sessions. 

Art Papyrus, August 7-9. Workshop at Sitka Center for Art and Ecology. 

Kalamazoo Book Arts Center, Kalamazoo, Michigan, (269) 373-4938, info@kalbookarts.org, www.kalbookarts.org. Classes in book printing and binding, printmaking, hand papermaking, and creative writing. 

The Basics of Papermaking, July 6, 13, 20, & 27, with Kim Hosken Eberstein. Create unique, expressive art while learning the handmade paper process and using colored pulp, fibers, and collage elements to make works suitable for framing. 

Mary Ashton Studio, Seattle, WA, www .maryashtonstudio.com. Papermaking and book classes. 

Western Papermaking Open Studio, June 27 or September 13. 

Western Papermaking, August 8-9. 

Pulp Painting, September 12. 

MayBe Studio, Abita Springs, Louisiana, (985) 893-3184. 

Hand Papermaking, selected Saturdays, with Mary-Elaine Bernard. Learn Eastern and Western methods of making paper and incorporate local plant fibers. 

Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Minneapolis, MN, (612) 215-2520, www.mnbookarts.org. Classes at the Open Book center for book and literary arts. 

Beater Training, first Tuesdays, with staff instructor. Learn beater operation, safety procedures and cleaning for MCBA’s three beaters as a prerequisite to renting the beaters for your own use. 

Open Studio: Paper Beater, Tuesdays, with staff instructor. Beat fiber for paper for future sheet-forming. 

Open Studio: Papermaking (B.Y.O. Fibers), Tuesdays and select Saturdays, with staff instructor. Get into the vat, hone your sheet-pulling technique, and enjoy the fellowship of other artists, using your own previously beaten fibers.

Paper Marbling: Patterns II, August 8, with Sally Powers. Learn to create your own marbling patterns while building on traditional techniques. 

Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory and Educational Foundation, Cleveland, OH, (216) 361-9255, http://morganconservatory.org. Workshops in hand papermaking and the arts of the book in an innovative green environment. 

Islamic Papermaking, July 10-12, with Radha Pandey. Use hemp fiber to create paper in the Islamic style in this three-day intensive workshop. 

Pulp Imaging - Stencils, Drawing, Painting, July 18-19, with Andrea Peterson. Create images using finely beaten and pigmented cotton through the controlling and layering of pulp with veiling and block outs. 

Papermaking with Local Plant Fibers, July 25-26, with Jane Ingram Allen. Make unique handmade paper using sustainable methods and materials that do not harm the environment. 

From Plants to Pages - A Garden Sampler Book, August 8-9, with Kerri Cushman. Use natural plant fibers, such as milkweed, iris, daylily, hosta, and carrot tops, to create conventional and unconventional papers. 

All About the Bark - Unusual Techniques with Kozo and Color, August 12-16, with Melissa Jay Craig. Learn to process, dye, experiment, and work with kozo bark in the nontraditional 2-D and 3-D applications. 

Advanced Western Papermaking, August 29-30, with Mason Milani. Build upon your understanding of papermaking to explore the diversity of different paper fibers and the versatility of this process for limited edition works of art, including stencils, ready-mades, and custom made copper ribbon layouts to create fine art editions in handmade paper. 

Old Ways Book Arts Tools and Workshops, near Santa, ID, (208) 245-3043, traditionalhand@gmail.com, www .traditionalhand.com/oldway/. Workshops with Jim Croft in making books from old tools and materials. 

Oregon College of Art and Craft, Portland, OR, (503) 297-5544, www.ocac .edu. Continuing education and degree programs in craft. 

Playing with Paper, July 10-12, with Helen Hiebert. Learn a wide range of papermaking and paper manipulation techniques to make inflatable paper balls, book structures, lamps, lanterns, paper clothing, and other sculptural forms. 

Paper Circle, Nelsonville, OH, (740) 753-3374, www.papercircle.org, papercirclearts@gmail.com. Call or e-mail for information about upcoming paper classes. 

Open Studio, second Saturdays, with studio artists. Gain new skills while working on themed, relaxed projects. 

Papermakers of Victoria, at Box Hill Community Arts Centre, Whitehorse, Victoria, Australia, phone 9885 2479. Workshop and exhibition information can be found at www.papermakers.org.au. 

Introduction to Papermaking, August 18, with Barb Adams. Learn the basics of making paper by hand using recycled pulp. 

The Papertrail, New Dundee, Ontario, Canada, (800) 421-6826, www.papertrail .ca. Classes in papermaking, marbling, and related arts and studio rental scheduled on an as-needed basis. 

PapierWespe (PaperWasp), Klimschgasse 2/1, Vienna Austria, (0676) 77-33-153, office@papierwespe.at, www .papierwespe.at. Workshops in English and German taught by paper specialists in downtown Vienna. Colored Paper, September 18, 19, & 28, with Ilse Mühlbacher. Papermaking, October 3-4, with Beatrix Mapalagama. 

Penland School, Penland, NC, (828) 765- 2359, www.penland.org. A full program of craft workshops, including papermaking. 

Contemporary Papercutting, June 21 - July 3, with Béatrice Coron. Conceive and produce contemporary paper cutting works as different as unique illustrations, stenciled editions, pop-ups, dimensional work, wearable sculptures, and stop-motion animation. 

Sculptural Paper, July 5-17, with Lee Emma Running. Learn to manipulate handmade paper into a variety of forms using plaster molds, wire armatures, and surface manipulation techniques. 

Animated Pop-Up Books, July 19 - August 4, with Shawn Sheehy. Assemble a sequence of structures that combine various foundational pop-ups and movables to bring a sense of animation to the pages of your books. 

Peters Valley Craft Center, Layton, NJ, (973) 948-5200, www.petersvalley.org. Workshops in papermaking and a variety of crafts. 

About the Bark: Fibers & Color, July 24-28, with Melissa Jay Craig. Learn to process, dye, and work with kozo bark fiber in both 2-D and 3-D applications. 

Pyramid Atlantic, Silver Spring, MD, (301) 608-9101, www.pyramidatlanticartcenter.org. Workshops in papermaking, printmaking, and book arts. In 2016 Pyramid plans to move to an historic building known as “The Arcade,” at 4318 Gallatin Street, Hyattsville, Maryland. 

Papermaking Society, Third Thursdays. For details contact Associate Papermakers Laura Kinneberg and Lynette Spencer at pyramidpaper@gmail.com. 

Make Your Own Watermark, June 27, with studio instructor. Learn contemporary and traditional techniques to create individualized watermarks. 

Intro to Western Papermaking, July 26 or August 15-16, with studio instructor. Learn the basic techniques of Western-style hand papermaking, including pulp preparation, sheet forming, couching, pressing, and drying. 

Paper Studio Certification, July 19, with studio instructor. Learn how to properly use the equipment in the paper studio and how to form, press, and dry sheets of handmade paper. 

Beater Room Certification, August 2, with studio instructor. Learn how to use a 5 lb. Hollander beater to beat pulp for handmade paper. 

Robert C. Williams Paper Museum, Atlanta, GA, (404) 894-5726, http://ipst .gatech.edu/amp/. 

Paper to Print, June 22-23, with Steve Miller. Create cotton paper and then create a linocut to print on it. 

San Francisco Center for the Book, San Francisco, CA, (415) 565-0545, www.sfcb .org. Book arts classes/events year-round. 

Make & Take Papermaking with the Mobile Mill, August 16, with Jillian Bruschera. Turn paper trash into paper treasure in this 3-hour introductory hand papermaking workshop. 

Sarvisberry Studio and Gallery, Floyd, VA, (540) 745-6330, www.sarvisberry.com. Experience handmade paper in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

Open Studio Days, call for schedule. Make your own paper and work on personal projects. 

Seastone Papers, West Tisbury, Martha’s Vineyard, MA, (508) 693-5786, www .seastonepapers.com. Scheduled classes, open studio, and private workshops in hand papermaking, surface design, and book arts. For further information, email Sandy Bernat at sandy@seastonepapers .com. 

Papermaking Sampler, June 29, July 7, or July 21, with Sandy Bernat. Learn the basics of the papermaking process including preparing pulp and pulling and couching fresh sheets of paper varying in size and shape, followed by a hands-on exploration using tools such as shaped moulds, turkey basters, and prepared bottles of pulp “paint.” 

Collage and Paint with Wet Pulp, June 30, with Sandy Bernat. Learn to design a painterly surface using overbeaten pulp paint. 

Seaweed in Paper, July 6 or 20, with Sandy Bernat. Gather selected seaweed from Vineyard waters to include in handmade papers. 

Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, Otis, Oregon, (541) 994-5485, www.sitkacenter.org. Workshops and residencies in a range of media. 

Sculptural Papermaking, July 13-16, with Jane Ingram Allen. Design and create a paper-based sculpture while sampling a variety of techniques including casting in molds and over forms, using armatures and sculpting pulp-like clay. 

Papyrus Art: Under the Press, August 7-9, with Jill Powers. Use steamy heat and six tons of pressure to make ultra-thin translucent sections of fruits and vegetables for collage or mixed media paintings and art. 

The Society for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, PA, (412) 261-7003, www .contemporarycraft.org. Classes in fiber, book art, and other media in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. 

Papermaking 101, July 25, with Katy Dement. Learn traditional papermaking while exploring more modern paper making techniques with color, texture, and collage while using natural and found materials. 

Southwest School of Art, San Antonio, TX, (210) 224-1848, www.swschool .org. Classes at the Picante Paper Studio. Individual papermaking classes can be scheduled for one person or a group; please contact Beck Whitehead at bhwhitehead@swschool.org for more information. 

Papermaking Saturdays, select Saturdays, with Beck Whitehead. Work on independent projects with consultation. 

University of West England, Bristol, U.K., (0)0117 3284810, sca.cpd@uwe.ac.uk, www.bookarts.uwe.ac.uk. Classes offered through Continuing Professional Development at the School of Creative Arts. 

Japanese Book, Print & Paper, August 10- 14, with Jeff Rathermel. Explore Japanese papermaking, paper decoration, and binding structures in this intensive course. 

Wisconsin Center for Book and Paper Arts, Madison, WI, (608) 284-8394, wcpaperarts@hotmail.com. Offering tutorial programs in hand papermaking and decorative papers. 

Women’s Studio Workshop, Rosendale, NY 12472, (845) 658-9133, info@wsworkshop.org, www.wsworkshop.org. Summer Arts Institute includes workshops in papermaking, printmaking, book arts, photography, and other media.

Paper and Place, July 6-10, with Ann Marie Kennedy. Explore the process of hand papermaking to incorporate natural materials directly into your artmaking in both two and three dimensions. 

In the Ecotone - North Country Shifu, July 13-17, with Velma Bolyard. Experience the traditional Japanese art of Shifu, a spun and woven paper textile. 

Handmade Paper & Encaustic, July 20-24, with Tatana Kellner & Cynthia Winika. Construct handmade papers incorporating layering, embedding, stenciling, pulp painting, and embossing, followed by an introduction to encaustic to work further into these deeply layered collages. 

New Directions in Pulp Painting, July 27-31, with Karen J. Revis. Master a full range of pulp painting methods including free hand, spray and squeeze bottles. 

Unusual 3-D Methods for Papermakers, August 1-7, with Melissa Jay Craig. Use kozo and high shrinkage fibers to make compelling paper forms, and fiber reactive dyes to provide brilliant color. 

Sculptural Papermaking, August 10-14, with Ellen Kucera and Chris Petrone. Create sculptures from the inside out starting 

with elegant armatures covered with paper. 

Fields of Blue - Paper, Cloth, & Indigo Dye, August 17-21, with Mary Hark. Use handmade papers and cloth to produce a beautiful portfolio of paper and textiles that make use of the lively and historic range of blue available with an indigo vat. 

> EVENTS 

Workshops in suminagashi and paste papers will be part of the 2015 Focus on Book Arts conference, taking place June 24-28 in Forest Grove, Oregon. The program features workshops, exhibition, talks, and a trade fair. For more details, visit www.focusonbookarts.org. 

Paper Points North is the theme for the next Friends of Dard Hunter annual conference, taking place October 22-24 at the Banff Centre in Alberta, Canada. Keep an eye on www.friendsofdardhunter.org for more details as they develop. 

Historic RittenhouseTown, site of the first papermill in the United States, offers public tours on weekends throughout the summer. Located in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park, the site now exists to preserve, restore and historically interpret the site. More information can be found at http://historicrittenhousetown.org. 

The Red Cliff Paper Retreat takes place September 11-13. Helen Hiebert invites you to her studio in the heart of the Rocky Mountains to cut, fold, layer, collage, weave, glue, and make paper as you explore its potential in two and three dimensions. Enjoy three peaceful creative days in the tiny hamlet of Red Cliff, surrounded by mountains, the river, and aspen trees as they begin to change their glorious fall colors. Experiment with several techniques as you create a variety of objects ranging from sculpture and book arts to lanterns and lamps that will intrigue your eyes and illuminate your spirit. All levels of art experience are invited. More details can be found at http://helenhiebertstudio.com/red-cliff-paper-retreat/. 

> EXHIBITS 

Paper Transformed is an exhibition of the work of eight Western Washington artists who transform machine and handmade paper into artist books, sculpture, jewelry, baskets, and other visual objects. Dona Anderson, Mary Ashton, Danielle Bodine, Zia Gipson, Lois James, Dorothy McGuinness, Jean-Marie Tarascio, and Sande Wascher-James all use paper for its inherent infinitely malleable character, not just as a substrate for traditional artists’ media. The exhibit runs July 3 through 26 at Northwind Art Center, Port Townsend, WA. Paper-related workshops for adults are being offered by Danielle Bodine and Mary Ashton. See http://northwindarts .org for more information or contact info@northwindarts.org. 

Paper Variables 2015 is on view through July 18 at Dieu Donné featuring new variable editions in handmade paper by Gina Beavers and Brock Enright. For more information visit www.dieudonne.org or call (212) 226-0573. 

The Fabric Workshop and Museum (FWM) in Philadelphia presents Both/ And - Richard Tuttle Print and Cloth. This unique, multifaceted installation of over five decades of work—from the mid- 1960s to present—was conceived by Richard Tuttle, and includes works in handmade paper. The exhibit runs through this summer. Additional information can be found at www.fabricworkshopandmuseum.org. 

The exhibition Ten Years Gone at the New Orleans Museum of Art includes work in handmade paper by Christopher Saucedo. This show, timed to coincide with the tenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, features six contemporary artists who explore the passage of time, memory, loss, and transformation and is on view through September 7. Visit www.noma .org for details and images of work. 

Aimee Lee and Kristen Martincic will have a two-person exhibit at Morgan Conservatory opening October 15, including work with kozo, gampi, and other Eastern fibers. Visit http://morganconservatory .org for more information as the date approaches. 

The paper art of UK artist Peter Ford will be on exhibit in China this autumn. First as part of the Impact9 international printmaking congress in Hangzhou (22nd to 26th September) and then on 15th October his personal exhibition ‘Chance and Choice’ will open at the Art Gallery of Dongguan (a southern city between Shenzhen and Guangzhou). 

> CALLS FOR ENTRIES 

The International Fibre Art Exhibi-tion “Fibremen 5” seeks entries of contemporary work by male textile artists. The exhibit will take place October 22 - November 5 in Kherson, Ukraine. Entries are due by August 1. For details, contact Ludmila Egorova at P.O.Box 79, 73028 Kherson, Ukraine or scythiatextile@ gmail.com. Also visit www.scythiatextile .com. 

Pittsburgh’s Fiber Art International 2016 is accepting entries for this juried exhibition documenting trends and innovations in the field, rooted in traditional fiber materials, structure, processes and history, as well as art that explores unexpected relationships between fiber and other creative disciplines. The exhibit will be held May 6 to July 31, 2016 at Society for Contemporary Craft and Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. More information is available at http://fiberartinternational.org/. Entries are due August 31. 

The 11th Paper Biennial Rijswijk will be held from June to October 2016. The aim of the Paper Biennial is to showcase the diversity and ingenuity of contemporary paper art. Artists who would like to participate in the 2016 Paper Biennial are requested to forward their documentation: a CD-ROM or USB stick with high-resolution photographs (between 2 and 4 MB) of recent artworks, a curriculum vitae in English, and printed details of postal, e-mail and website addresses, to Museum Rijswijk before August 31 at Herenstraat 67, NL-2282 BR Rijswijk, The Netherlands, to the attention of the 2016 Paper Biennial Rijswijk. For further information contact curator Anne Kloosterboer: a.kloosterboer@museumrijswijk.nl. 

The International Biennial Exhibition and Conference on Textile Art, “Scythia 11,” invites entries for a June 15-26, 2016 exhibition in Kherson, Ukraine. The deadline for applications is February 1. For details contact scythiatextile@gmail.com or visit www.scythiatextile.com. 

Treewhispers is an ongoing installation of flat handmade paper rounds with tree stories, poetry, and art. The project continues to seek contributions. The project was started by Pamela Paulsrud and Marilyn Sward. For more information, visit http:// treewhispers.com/here/. 

> PUBLICATIONS AND VIDEOS 

Hyperallergic published an article this past spring about community papermaking using invasive plant fibers in Detroit. Its focus is an exhibit of work by artist Megan Heeres in a gallery-based version of the mobile papermaking station she takes around Detroit. You can read about it here: http://hyperallergic.com/197226/ an-artist-turns-invasive-plants-into-paper-sculptures/. 

Design Dictionary is a new Cooper Hewitt video series that vividly illustrates a wide variety of creative techniques. Check out the entry on papermaking starring Amy Jacobs at https://youtu.be/hLVd7iPM_I4. 

Dezeen, an online architecture and design magazine, featured a nicely illustrated story about the 2015 Coachella Music Festival in California, where the Pavilion was made from spraying pigmented pulp over twine. Go to www.dezeen.com and search for pulp. You’ll also find an older story about Royal College of Art students making helmets from pulp for London cyclists. 

Open Library is a non-profit venture building a classic e-book collection for users to borrow or read online. Visit www .openlibrary.org and search papermaking, and begin reading such titles as Aztec and Maya Papermakers (1943), Pioneer Papermaking in Berkshire (1880), Chronology of Paper and Papermaking (1857), and History of Paper Manufacturing in the United States, 1690-1916. 

A video visit to the Global Paper 3 exhibit in Deggendorf, including an interview with papermaker Johannes Follmer, can be found at www.br.de by searching papier kunst. 

Negative Space in Handmade Paper: Picturing the Void is number 11 in Hand Papermaking’s series of limited-edition portfolios. 19 compelling artworks were selected by a distinguished jury (Lesley Dill, Cynthia Thompson, Paul Wong). The work as a whole encourages viewers to ponder what is omitted. A handbound booklet, with letterpress printed cover, contains statements from the artists, details about each piece, and a commissioned essay by Buzz Spector. View more details at: http://portfolios .handpapermaking.org. 

> CLASSIFIEDS 

Classifieds in Hand Papermaking Newsletter cost $2 per word, with a 10-word minimum. Payment is due in advance of publication. 

Lee McDonald paper mould for sale, 22x30 inches, $800, new condition; 20 lbs. of abaca @ $7.00 per lb; 14 lbs cotton rag half-stuff @ $2.50 per lb. Plus shipping. Contact prentice@uoregon.edu or call (541) 343-1154. 

Unbleached Philippine Abaca $6.00 lb. For samples, please send SASE to Ifugao Papercraft, 6477 E. Grayson, St., Inverness, FL 34452. 

Need affordable paper for workshops? We offer authentic hanji, lokta, washi & xuan. Mention this ad for 10% discount. paperwoman@paperconnection.com. 

Cotton Linter Pulp. All quantities available. Call Gold’s Artworks, Inc. (910) 739-9605. 

Organic 1/4” raw hemp: $4/lb, minimum 25 lb + shipping from NC. 5 lb Noble & Woods Hollander $7500. (260) 306-1179, kozokitty@gmail.com. 

Custom Built Paper Presses for sale, large and small. 23-inch C&P paper cutter. Contact The Pterodactyl Press in Cumberland, Iowa, (712) 774-2244, floyd_ pearce@yahoo.com. 

Aid for Nepal Papermakers Nimto and Nima Sherpa of Tibetan Handicraft & Paper in Kathmandu were severely affected by the April 25 and May 12 earthquakes in Nepal. They are now entering the monsoon season in need of building materials for shelter, for rebuilding their print shop, for making repairs to the school they established, and for helping their families and neighbors. In their village of Bigu and the two adja-cent villages, all 2,000 homes were totally destroyed. These dear friends and essential contributors to the Paper Road/Tibet Project (see Hand Papermaking, Winter 1996 and Winter 2001) need our help! We have already sent some funds and are still raising more. No amount is too small. If you wish to contribute directly, please make checks payable to Paper Road Tibet and mail to: Tom Leech, 2 Casa Del Oro Loop, Santa Fe, NM 87508 Paper Road Tibet relinquished its 501(c)3 status in 2003. While these contributions are not tax deductible, 100% of funds will be wired to Tibetan Handicraft & Paper, LTD. For tax deductible and credit card contributions, we encourage you to visit www.dzi.com/earthquake/ For detailed earthquake report from THP, see www.dzi.com/earthquake/paper-and-incense.html Thank you, on behalf of Paper Road Tibet: Tom Leech, Jane Farmer, Carol Brighton, and Jim Canary. 

SPECIAL THANKS 

Hand Papermaking acknowledges these recent contributors to our non-profit programs. All donations are greatly appreciated and tax deductible. Our tax ID number is 52-1436849. See our profile on GuideStar. Call or write for information on annual giving levels, premiums, automatic monthly gifts, and in-kind contributions; or details on adding Hand Papermaking to your estate plans. 

Patrons: Yousef Ahmad, Anonymous, Tom Balbo, Jeffrey Cooper, Susan Gosin, Nancy & Mark Tomasko, Gibby Waitzkin. Underwriters: Sid Berger & Michèle Cloonan, Susan Mackin Dolan, Kyoko Ibe, Ann Marshall, Pierrette Samour, Pamela Wood. Sponsors: Cathleen A. Baker, Simon Blattner, Tom & Lore Burger, Michael Durgin, Jane Farmer, Helen Frederick, Helen Hiebert, Lois & Gordon James, Winsome Jobling, Suzanne Johnson, Barbara Landes, Peter Newland & Robyn Johnson, Laura Merrick Roe, Michelle Samour, Kimberly Schenck, Richard H. Schimmelpfeng, Aviva Weiner. Donors: Annie Alexander, Ines Ballugera, James Barton, Jody Beenk, Carol J. Blinn, Peter S. Briggs, John C. Brown, Bob & Annie Cicale, Kathryn & Howard Clark, Elizabeth Curren, Kerri Cushman, Jennifer Davies, Amanda Degener, William Donahue, Walter Doyle, Iris L. Dozer, Linda Draper, Karla & Jim Elling, Kathy Fitzgerald, Kathryn Flannery, Sara Gilfert, Lori B. Goodman, Connie Hershey, Nancy Howes, Katherine Ilowiecki, Sally Wood Johnson, Gloria Justen, Joyce Kierejczyk, Betty L. Kjelson, David Kimball, Tom Lang, Aimee Lee, Dirk Lee, Mary Lou Manor, Anne Q. McKeown, Julie McLaughlin, Betsy Miraglia, Catherine Nash, Paper Circle, Sharon Pettus, Nancy Pobanz, Pyramid Atlantic, Brian Queen, Sara Ringler, Sally Rose, S.A. Scharf, Mary C. Schlosser, Kathleen Stevenson, Betty Sweren, Mina Takahashi, Carla J. Tenret, Elise Thoron, Bernie Vinzani, Mary Ann Weisberg, Beck Whitehead, Paul Wong. Supporters: Jane Ingram Allen, Mary Austin, Tom Bannister, Anne Beckett, Elena Osterwalder Bonny, Ariella Brodecki, Nancy Cohen, Marty Davies, Georgia Deal, Sarah & Joshua Dickinson, Rose Folsom, Joan Giordano, Mabel Grummer, Robert Hauser, Jo Etta Jupe, Ellen Mears Kennedy, David Lewis, Katie MacGregor, M. P. Marion, Edwin Martin, Lynne Matott, Kathryn Menard, Margaret Miller, Dennis Morris, Suzanne Oberholtzer, Oblation Papers, Margaret Prentice, Dianne L. Reeves, Eve Reid, Amy Richard, Kim Schiedermayer, Marie Sturken, Burt Van Deusen, Teri Williams. In-Kind: Adobe Systems Inc., Tom Balbo, Janet DeBoer, Peter Ford, John Gerard, Robert Hauser, Dard Hunter III, Rick McSorley, Microsoft Corporate Citizenship, Steve Miller, Britt Quinlan, Amy Richard. Founding Contributors to the Hand Papermaking Endowment: 49er Books, Shirah Miriam (Mimi) Aumann, Cathleen A. Baker, Tom Balbo, Timothy Barrett, Sidney Berger & Michèle Cloonan, Tom & Lore Burger, Jeffrey Cooper, Jeanne M. Drewes, Jane M. Farmer, Fifth Floor Foundation, Helen Frederick, Sara Gilfert, Tatiana Ginsberg, Susan Gosin, Joan Hall, Lois & Gordon James, Sally Wood Johnson, David Kimball, Elaine Koretsky, Karen Kunc, Barbara Lippman, Winifred Lutz, Susan Mackin-Dolan, David Marshall, Peter Newland Fund of the Greater Everett Community Foundation, Margaret Prentice, Preservation Technologies L.P., Michelle Samour, Peter Sowiski, Marilyn Sward, Betty Sweren, Gibby Waitzkin, Tom Weideman, Beck Whitehead, Paul Wong & John Colella, Pamela Wood. 

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