HAND PAPERMAKING

NEWSLETTER number 155  July 2026

Newsletter Editor: Sophia Hotzler

Contributors: Jenna Richards, Michael Korol, Michelle Bayer & Joyce Rosner, Giselle Simon, Sid Berger.

Sponsors: Penland School of Craft, The Papertrail, Helen Hibert Studio, Women's Studio Workshop.

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The deadline for the next newsletter (October 2026) is August 15, 2026. We encourage letters from our subscribers on any topic. We also solicit comments on articles in Hand Papermaking magazine, questions or remarks for newsletter columnists, and news of special events or activities. The newsletter is supported by our sponsors (listed above). If you would like to support Hand Papermaking through a sponsorship, contact us at rosa@handpapermaking.org.

Hand Papermaking is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organi-zation. Staff: Rosa Chang, Executive Director; Mina Takahashi, Magazine Editor; Sophia Hotzler, Newsletter Editor/News & Social Media Manager; Karen Kopacz, Designer. Board of Directors: Steph Rue, Emily Duong, Gretchen Schermerhorn, Sanaz Haghani, Anne Q McKeown, Jerushia Graham, Veronica Pham, Andrea Sherrill Evans, Jenna Bonistalli, Jill Bramwell, Giselle Simom, Robert Chapman, Jaime C Knight.

Co-founders: Amanda Degener and Michael Durgin.

Dear Reader,

As we welcome summer, we have much to celebrate—from the 40th anniversary of Hand Papermaking and our upcoming Summer 2026 All Blues issue to the inspiring stories, research, and creative explorations that continue to enrich the world of hand papermaking.
In our 155th newsletter issue, Jenna Richards shares how 3D-printed, open-source tools and community workshops are breaking down barriers to papermaking and keeping fiber traditions alive. We honor the life and legacy of Twinrocker Paper co-founder Howard Clark, whose pioneering work helped shape the modern revival of hand papermaking. Michael Korol shares an experimental study reveals how freeze–thaw cycles, fiber preparation, and forming methods influence the structure and behavior of handmade paper. Created for the exhibition After the Rain, Michelle Bayer & Joyce Rosner use handmade paper and native prairie grasses to visualize the hidden root systems that sustain landscapes and mitigate flooding. Sid Berger shares the surprising history and beauty of vintage fruit-wrapping papers, once everyday packaging and now celebrated as miniature works of graphic art.

— Sophia Hotzler

meet the maker

Making Paper, Making Community

In this recurring feature, Jenna Richards shares how losing access to studio resources after graduation inspired her to develop free, 3D-printable papermaking tools that make fiber arts more accessible while expanding community education and preserving traditional craft practices.

After graduating, like many artists and makers, I suddenly lost access to space, tools, and equipment. I spent three years slowly thrifting machines and adopting fiber supplies that were headed to the dump, building a studio piece by piece. Through this process came the realization that you can make paper with simple tools in your kitchen, backyard, or places like the farmers' market. This unlocked the ability to offer public pop-up papermaking workshops and share my love for the craft while passing on the oral tradition of making paper.

As an alternative to investing in larger, expensive, or harder-to-find tools, such as a Hollander beater, hydraulic press, or expensive formal mold and deckle, I combined my passion for craft media with my interest in making tools more accessible to design the Flat Pack Fiber Studio in 2021. The Flat Pack Fiber Studio utilizes digital fabrication to create accessible fiber tools. It includes a drop spindle and skeiner, a frame loom, and a mold and deckle, bringing together my personal interests in papermaking, spinning, and weaving with designing, building, and 3D printing. The files are all published and free to download on Printables.com.

It's more accessible in multiple ways: it eliminates the need for dedicated studio space, makes tools printable, takes advantage of the growing availability of 3D-printing knowledge, and benefits from 3D printers becoming easier to use and increasingly available in public libraries, makerspaces, and school programs. In 2017, I started working in the Makerspace at Indiana University while I was a graduate student in the Fibers MFA program. Before then, makerspaces were largely male-dominated spaces that were difficult to enter and often felt like places where you already had to know how to use the equipment just to walk in. Now they are friendlier, more welcoming environments where people of all identities are ready to instruct first-time users.

I developed my interest in 3D modeling into a career running digital fabrication makerspaces, working as tech support for CNC machines, and commercially operating CNC routers and laser cutters in woodshops and sign shops. Along the way, I kept asking: How can this equipment and knowledge become more available to everyone?

Making paper is, and always has been, a communal practice. It often takes place in shared studios, where pulp is processed and vats are prepared together. Papermaking itself is an act of processing, whether public or private. I pulped my adolescent personal belongings, from preschool daily reports to childhood artwork, high school papers, and love letters. Everything was organized by color and pulped back into usable paper that I began printing on. Some of the fragments were too interesting looking to pulp thoroughly, leaving larger chucks of paper as semi-legible remnants of the past. This led me to develop a second deckle, the deep deckle that allows the paper maker to add inclusions to a single sheet, without affecting the whole vat. Beyond the ability to add inclusions into sheets, I also wanted to re-create a project from my undergrad professor Lida Gordon, to cut deckle die cuts, creating custom shaped paper. This can be done simply with craft foam, or more intricate patterns can be cut on the lasercutter or vinyl cutter, allowing the paper maker to create outside of the box.

In 2023, I moved back to my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, and became the Artist in Residence at The Little Loomhouse. Part of my residency included offering a papermaking workshop. More than a decade earlier, during my undergraduate program, the late Professor Lida Gordon had suggested I continue my fiber studies there. In 2011, I took a weaving class from Sally Moss, a student of Lou Tate, and I was enchanted. As the founder of the Little Loomhouse, Lou Tate committed her life to keeping weaving alive by collecting and preserving historic weaving patterns from across Kentucky and beyond and teaching the next generation of weavers and spinners.

This year, three years after my residency, we're able to begin offering papermaking on a regular basis at the Little Loomhouse, a collection of three historic cabins on Happy Birthday Hill. Drawing a connection back to my project of making paper from personal belongings, we started creating paper from materials found in the Loomhouse archives, which are currently being digitized and made available online. With the recent loss of the Fiber Department, the importance of public education for fiber art in Louisville is greater now than ever. The traditions continue on-site, where we are developing a consistent papermaking program.

Please share and use this mold and deckle. They are easy to produce and promote access to papermaking. You can make paper at home without the need for a formal studio or expensive processing equipment. Contact me if you have any questions about finding a makerspace or 3D printers in your area!

— Jenna Richards

Jenna Richards is a digital fabrication designer and conceptual visual artist. The grandchild of a hardware store owner, and great grandchild of a yarn spinner at a cotton mill. Richards is a Level 2 Master Spinner through Olds College, holds an MFA in Fibers from Indiana University, and a BFA in Fibers and Ceramics from University of Louisville. She currently teaches yarn spinning and papermaking at The Little Loomhouse and is the Makerspace Manager at FirstBuild Makerspace. Richards can be reached on Instagram @ jennaleighrichards, you can check out more work at https://jennaleighrichards.com/

a legacy

Honoring Howard "Howie" Clark

In this feature, Giselle Simon helps share a tribute to Howie Clark, whose pioneering contributions were instrumental in the revival of contemporary hand papermaking.

Hand Papermaking is saddened by the news of Howard “Howie” Clark’s passing on April 29, 2026. Howie’s impact on the world of hand papermaking is immense.
He and his wife Kathryn founded Twinrocker Paper, Inc. in 1971, bringing forth a rebirth of the craft, setting the scene for what hand papermaking is today. Please read more on North American Hand Papermakers Champions page, and Nicholas Basbanes’ article on Twinrocker in the Winter 2011 issue of Hand Papermaking magazine.

What follows is an excerpted version of his obituary that Kathryn shared with us. We send big paper love to Kathryn, friends, family, apprentices, students and all who shared in Howie’s wonderful life of paper.

             — Giselle Simon, Hand Papermaking Board Member

Howard “Howie” Clark, 85, of Brookston, Indiana, died at home on April 29, 2026, leaving behind his wife, Kathryn Haugh Clark, and his sister, Hyla Clark. Howie was a beloved musician, performer, humorist, and great storyteller whose banjo playing and old-time music brought joy to friends and audiences for many years. He was a longtime leader in the Indiana Fiddlers’ Gathering and a co-founder of the Brookston Music Jam. Beyond music, Howie made lasting contributions to hand papermaking in America as a co-founder of Twinrocker Handmade Paper, a craft studio that helped shape the modern revival of hand papermaking in this country. It continues to make fine watercolor and limited-edition book papers as well as elegant invitations under the leadership of Travis Becker. Howard was a graduate of Purdue University’s School of Mechanical Engineering, and Wayne State University’s Industrial Design Program. His work reflected both creativity and fine craftsmanship. He designed and built all of the necessary equipment for Twinrocker as well as papermaking equipment for many institutions and individuals. He and his wife Kathryn were honored with an Outstanding Alumni Award from Wayne State University and the John Corey Arts Leadership Award in Lafayette, IN. In 2008. In 1990, a documentary movie was made about Twinrocker by Chicago filmmaker David McGowan, titled The Mark of the Maker. It was nominated for an Academy Award and now can be easily seen on YouTube by searching the title.

decorated papers

Fruit Wrapping Paper

Longtime newsletter contributor Sid Berger continues his documentation of decorated papers. In this feature Sid highlights vintage fruit wrappers.

Decorated papers are everywhere. Many commercial products use decorated wrapping papers to entice buyers and advertise their goods. The adornment may consist merely of beautifully designed text with colorful inks and printers’ flowers, or it may take the form of representational art with pictures and text, colors galore, photographs, and much more. In Spain, Sicily, Italy, Egypt, and a few other countries, as early as the 1930s and ’40s—but even as recently as the 1970s—purveyors of oranges and other fruits came up with a brilliant idea. To protect the fruit in transit and keep it as moist as possible, they wrapped each piece in coated paper, and, while they were at it, they printed the little squares of paper with advertisements for their products. These fruit-wrapping papers were printed in one or more colors, and the unknown artists often tried to capture something of the culture in which the fruit was grown. Many of these are exceptionally beautiful, as the images here attest.

About twenty years ago I acquired a collection of about 110 of these wrapping papers, and at the recent ABAA (Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America) fair in San Francisco, I acquired from the book and ephemera seller Marc Selvaggio a magnificent collection of more than 550 additional examples of these wonderful papers. As I hinted above, the papers served more than one purpose.

A damaged piece of fruit—or one past its prime—could decay through fungus or other transmissible organisms. Wrapping each piece protected it from the decay of neighboring pieces, and a decaying piece, if wrapped properly, would not harm nearby fruit. When these forms of wrapping were first used in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, transporting fruit could take many days, and some pieces would begin to dry out after only a short time on the road. The wrapping therefore helped retain moisture and keep the fruit from shriveling. Additionally, the papers softened blows between fruits; that is, they provided a cushion-like barrier between items. Abrasion, bruising, and puncturing could all be avoided through their use. Finally, as I mentioned, the companies selling the fruit used the papers as advertisements and as eye-catching devices to attract shoppers.

Early on, the papers were used for lemons and oranges, but other fruits were similarly protected. One might see them wrapped around apricots, tangerines, apples, pears, or tomatoes. Since they served their commercial purpose, they were almost always discarded once consumers wanted to eat the fruit. But some savvy collectors recognized their beauty and preserved them. Today these little pieces of decorated paper have become collectors’ items, with thousands having been produced. According to one website, “International Museum of Modest Arts in Sète (MIAM) holds one of France’s largest collections, with tens of thousands of wrappers”1

Each printed sheet is about eight inches square, though the size varied depending on the fruit for which it was created. The paper feels something like fine waxed paper, though much more flexible and crinkled. It is also somewhat translucent, owing, I believe, to whatever was incorporated into the pulp when the sheet was formed. I mention wax because the papers are impregnated with some kind of wax-like strengthening agent, and the sheets often have a glossy surface. Although they are thin, they are remarkably strong. Consequently, collections often contain intact sheets, albeit ones showing the extensive creasing that occurred when they were wrapped around the fruit.

Occasionally today one might receive a package of fruit ordered online with the apples or pears wrapped in paper, but those wrappers are usually monochromatic (green or white, for example) and bear no images or printing. With the advent of fungicides, faster and better shipping methods (using jets and refrigeration, for instance), the hybridization of fruits to extend shelf life and reduce damage from handling, and the inconvenience grocers faced in removing and discarding the wrappers, their use has all but disappeared.

Thanks to the importance of these papers to the fruit-sales industry, there is a fairly extensive literature on them, examining such things as the effect they have on the fruit they cover, the best kinds of papers to use, the effects the papers have on taste and weight, the kinds of fruits and vegetables for which they are best suited, and much more. There is comparatively little on their collectability or artistry. While the papers function as miniature advertisements for growers and sellers, what interests me most here are their decorative qualities. Each one is designed and printed with care, and most are illustrated by accomplished—though almost always anonymous—artists.

In them we see images of people, deities, natural settings in which the fruits were grown, vehicles, symbols of dynamism and health (stars and sunbeams, healthy people, athletes, and so forth), national symbols (eagles and other birds, flags, costumes, and many species of animals), and a great many other decorative elements that tell us something about marketing, culture, artistic practice, and the world of agriculture from which these papers emerged. They also reveal information concerning brand names, growers, countries of origin, and sometimes the grade of fruit and a certification statement from the grower. They tell us much about the cultures that produced them, but, as decorated papers, they are also works of art, ripe for framing and display. It would be wonderful to see a revival of papers like these, but the world has changed, and they are no longer needed. Fortunately, we can still enjoy them thanks to the insightful collectors of the past.

1. Allan Popelard and Grégory Rzepski, “The Modest Art of the Orange              Wrapper,” Le Monde diplomatique, https://mondediplo.com/2025/07/14oranges,                     accessed March 26, 2026.

— Sid Berger

Sidney Berger is Director Emeritus of the Phillips Library of the Peabody Essex Museum, and a professor on the faculty of the library schools at Simmons University and the University of Illinois at Urbana– Champaign. He and his wife Michèle Cloonan put together the Berger–Cloonan Collection of Decorated Paper (about 22,000 pieces), now in the Cushing Library at Texas A&M University.

conservation meets paper

Switchgrass, Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem

In this feature, we hear from artists and papermakers Michelle Bedrosian and Joyce Rosner who native prairie grasses to visualize the hidden root systems that sustain landscapes and mitigate flooding.

This piece was created for the exhibition After the Rain, which explored land management practices that foster resilience in the Texas Hill Country amid intensifying cycles of drought and flood. We’re deeply grateful to La Cuna for their generosity, knowledge, and collaboration throughout this process.

This project began as an investigation into water runoff and flood mitigation. Much of the Texas Hill Country has been overranched, leading to compacted soil that limits infiltration. Rather than soaking into the ground, rainwater moves quickly across the surface, contributing to erosion and flooding. These conditions also allow woody species—mesquite, catclaw, whitebrush, and prickly pear—to encroach, displacing native grasses that once played a critical role in holding water within the landscape.

Beginning in July 2025, we spent time walking the Hill Country, gathering these encroaching species alongside dried native prairie grasses while learning about the region’s ecology. Prairie systems are defined as much by what happens underground as by what grows above. Species such as switchgrass, big bluestem, and little bluestem send roots many feet into the soil—often deeper than we are tall. These deep root systems anchor the ground and create pathways that allow water to move downward, slowing runoff and increasing absorption. In this way, native grasses act like a sponge, storing water below the surface and supporting long-term soil health.

We became interested in how to convey this hidden depth—how to make something so expansive and invisible more tangible.

Back in the studio, the collected materials began to transform. We experimented with cording, basketry, natural dyeing, and weaving but kept returning to a simple question: Could these plants become paper? Early tests with mesquite and catclaw produced stiff but workable sheets, which we refined by combining their pulp with white and black cotton for greater flexibility and tonal variation. Hand papermaking ultimately felt like the right medium, not only for its material possibilities but also for its process. Fiber is broken down, suspended in water, and reformed into a new structure—an act of transformation that mirrors the ecological cycles we were studying.

As each sheet was formed, native grasses were embedded directly into the wet pulp, becoming integral to the paper rather than resting on its surface. Once dry, each sheet was sliced into narrow strips, revealing the grasses in cross section along the edges. What had read as lines became small, dot-like forms—tiny records embedded within the thickness of the material, reminiscent of geological core samples or roadcuts where layers of earth are exposed.

These strips were then stacked into tall vertical columns. Their form translates the downward reach of prairie roots into a visible, human-scale structure. As the columns descend, the embedded grasses taper, echoing the transition from aboveground blades to subterranean systems. The overall height becomes a bodily measure of root depth, allowing viewers to physically relate to what is typically hidden beneath the surface.

As the work developed, time emerged as another layer within the piece. The columns also function as a 100-year climate timeline. Variations in tone and spacing correspond to long-term patterns—average summer highs, winter lows, and precipitation—as well as more extreme events such as prolonged droughts, 105-degree summers, warm winters, and historic floods.

The work connects two overlapping systems: the atmosphere above and the soil below. Climate determines how much water arrives and when; root systems determine how that water is received, stored, or lost. Though one operates above ground and the other below, they remain in constant conversation.

Throughout the process, it became increasingly clear how much of what sustains a landscape is invisible. The most essential structures are often the ones we don’t see—the networks beneath our feet that stabilize soil, slow water, and make resilience possible. The making itself unfolds slowly—harvesting plants, processing fiber, forming sheets, embedding grasses, drying, cutting, and assembling—mirroring the gradual accumulation and transformation found in natural systems.

What began as a question about depth evolved into a way of thinking about connection: between surface and subsurface, between material and data, and between the body and the land. By translating root systems into human scale, the work invites a different kind of attention. It asks the viewer to stand with it, to measure themselves against it, and to consider what exists just below where they are standing.

Because beneath every step, there is an entire architecture at work—quiet, persistent, and essential.

      — Michelle Bedrosian and Joyce Rosner

Michelle Bedrosian and Joyce Rosner are Austin-based collaborators whose work explores transformation through the slow, tactile labor of making. Bedrosian, an industrial designer, and Rosner, an architectural educator and illustrator, have worked together for more than fifteen years. Their practice is rooted in experimentation with materials and techniques drawn from traditional craft.
oliveandotis.com  |  @olive_otis_austin

fiber study

Freeze-Thaw

In this feature, fine art photographer and artist, Michael Korol, explores how freeze–thaw cycles, fiber preparation, and forming methods reveal new possibilities in the structure and behavior of handmade paper.

This work began as an attempt to produce a centennial paper, marking the 250th year through the use of flax and hemp fibers and slow-drainage methods using plaster-of-Paris molds. What started as a focused effort to engage with historical material quickly developed into a broader investigation of fiber behavior. Rather than pursuing a single refined outcome, this work follows the material through a range of conditions, observing how structure emerges depending on how the fibers are handled—or left alone. By varying levels of intervention, from active manipulation to complete passivity, distinct material states were revealed. These include differences not only in surface appearance but also in structural cohesion and physical behavior.

Fiber Preparation and Initial Observations

Cottonized flax and hemp fibers were subjected to multiple freeze–thaw cycles through repeated outdoor winter exposure and indoor thawing. This natural cycling was repeated three times, allowing the fibers to respond to environmental variation rather than controlled processing. It was observed that three cycles produced more workable fibers than four, with longer strands retaining their individuality while becoming increasingly receptive to settling over time. As the fibers remained submerged, their behavior shifted. They required less intervention to form cohesive structures, suggesting that time and hydration alone contribute significantly to fiber interaction. It became evident that the degree of fiber separation prior to suspension played a critical role in sheet formation. When fibers were gently separated, they dispersed more evenly and were able to interlock more consistently during settling. Without this separation, clustering persisted, resulting in uneven bonding and incomplete cohesion. This condition became particularly evident during bleaching, where the fibers exhibit markedly increased receptivity compared to more traditionally processed material. The reaction occurs rapidly and uniformly—within minutes the fibers begin to lighten, and within an hour the transformation is pronounced—suggesting that the internal structure has already been opened through prior freeze–thaw cycling.

Suspension and Formation

When suspended in water, the fibers exhibited immediate clustering and uneven distribution. Without disturbance, these clusters remained, indicating that passive settling alone does not guarantee uniform cohesion. A sheet formed within a simple deckle and left completely undisturbed demonstrated this clearly. Fibers gathered into localized densities, leaving areas of incomplete bonding. This revealed the limits of passive formation and highlighted the importance of initial fiber separation.

Compression and Surface Variation

Different methods of compression produced markedly different outcomes. Sheets pressed between rigid surfaces became dense and board-like. Fibers were flattened and tightly locked, resulting in a stiff, uniform structure. In contrast, sheets pressed between felts retained a balance between cohesion and flexibility. The fibers interlocked while maintaining visible structure and surface variation. A hybrid process—initial compression followed by release into felt—produced a particularly balanced result, combining structural integrity with retained fiber character.

Material Behavior

Beyond visual differences, each method resulted in distinct physical properties. Sheets formed without pressure remained flexible and fabric-like, with fibers able to move within the structure. Felt-pressed sheets achieved a stable yet responsive form, while rigidly compressed sheets became stiff and board-like. These variations demonstrate that the same fiber can produce a range of material behaviors depending on how it is handled during formation.

Form Beyond the Plane

Formation within plaster molds and simple vessels demonstrated that these fibers are not limited to flat-sheet production. Through settling and gradual drainage, the material was able to hold three-dimensional form, reinforcing the role of gravity and time in shaping structure.

Conclusion

When formed within a simple deckle and left undisturbed, the fibers were able to settle and interlock only partially, revealing both their potential and their limitations. Cohesion did not arise uniformly but instead appeared in localized areas where fibers naturally gathered. Across all conditions, the work suggests that structure in handmade paper does not depend solely on force or refinement but on the relationship among suspension, separation, and time. Rather than presenting a single ideal outcome, this investigation reveals a range of possible states—from flexible, fabric-like sheets to rigid, board-like forms—all emerging from the same material. Rather than completing the fiber, freeze–thaw appears to establish a condition in which the material becomes receptive and responsive. This is reflected in bleaching, where the fibers lighten rapidly and uniformly, indicating an internally opened structure.

This work continues an ongoing investigation into fiber behavior across varying states of preparation and formation.

— Michael Korol

Michael Korol is a fine art photographer and artist with over 40 years of experience. He holds a BFA in Fine Art Photography and a BS in Photo Illustration from Rochester Institute of Technology. His work has been exhibited at ACA Gallery, Guild Hall in East Hampton, and FotoFoto in Huntington, NY, and has been published in Art in America and National Geographic. He is included in Jill Enfield’s Photographic Alternative Processes, with commissioned work for the Whitney Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His current practice explores handmade paper, material processes, perception, and alternative photographic methods.

Hand Papermaking Newsletter’s Listings now focus only on the most current, most relevent news, events, and opportunities. For a more complete list of organizations, studios, and institutions that make paper, educate people about handmade paper, or present programming or exhibitions related to handmade paper visit our website at www.handpapermaking.org/news-resources/listings

listings

PUBLICATIONS

Weaving With Paper by Helen Hiebert. Paper artist Helen Hiebert shares 30 unique paper weaving projects with step-by-step instruction and inspirational prompts for developing a daily practice. Combine fiber art with papercraft techniques, and paper weaving emerges as accessible, sustainable, and fun. Each project in the book includes a prompt, a technique, step-by-step instructions with photographs, and examples that inspire you to repurpose, recycle , and reuse papers you may already have: maps, postcards, journals, holiday cards. Because paper weaving does not require specialized equipment such as a loom, this art form is for everyone. Prompts and thoughtful questions are designed to help you find your own creative path, and inspiring stories and profiles of a range of contemporary paper weavers are woven throughout the book. For more information, visit https://helenhiebertstudio.com/product/weaving-with-paper/

WORKSHOPS

The Montana Institute for Book Arts is a summer program that brings together artists, craftspeople, and motivated students from across the country to share their professional knowledge and their love of bookmaking. Two sessions are split between a historic research lodge on Flathead Lake and the University of Montana’s campus in Missoula. Students will choose one in-depth workshop per session, with ample opportunities to meet and collaborate with fellow lovers of the book arts. Session 1, August 3rd - August 7th,University of Montana in Missoula, $1200, Master Printing Workshop with Harry Reese and Jonathan Gerken, Wood Engraving with Richard Wagener, Introduction to Bookbinding with Brenda Gallagher, Lecture on Rare Books from Stephanie Stillo, Library of Congress, Book Arts Exhibition at Montana Museum of Art and Culture. Session 2, August 10th - August 14th, Flathead Lake Biological Station. $1500 (includes lodging). Papermaking with Amanda Degener, Letter Carving in Stone with Christopher Stinehour, Innovative Book Structures with Emily Martin, Lecture from Richard Wagener on naturalist depiction in books, Lecture from Peter Koch and Debra Earling on art and collaboration. For more information on this summer program, contact daniela.garvue@umt.edu

A few exciting workshops will be happening at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. Sculptural Books with Handmade Paper with Erica Spitzer Rasmussen, Thursdays July 9, 16, 23. Create sculptural books—full of color and movement—that feature handmade paper and accessible binding techniques in this in-person workshop. Paper ReMake with Alexis Schramel, Wednesday, July 15. Turn recycled paper into beautiful, handmade paper you can write on, draw on, or gift to someone special. For more information on these workshops, and to explore other upcoming workshops, visit https://mnbookarts.org/category/papermaking-paper-marbling

Join Nicole Uzzell at Pocosin Arts School of Fine Craft for the Handmade Paper Mobiles workshop, July 6 - July 10. Working with papermaker/sculptor Nicole Uzzell, students will blend balance, motion and abstraction into paper mobiles. By utilizing overbeaten fibers, the handmade paper will be transparent to capture the light creating expressive moving sculptures. Students will learn to construct armatures from wire, found objects/natural materials and the point of suspension. Students will make sheets of paper and work with the pulp itself. Surface design will be applied using natural dyes. For more information, visit https://pocosinarts.org/product/session-6-handmade-paper-mobiles-2/

Join Selene LaMarca for the Cyanotypes on Handmade Paper workshop at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center July 18. Have you ever been curious about how to make your own sheets of paper? Want to learn a new, unique printing process that you can do at home without a press? If so, Cyanotypes on Handmade Paper is the workshop just for you! This two-day workshop combines the best of both worlds where students will learn how to make and work with pulp, form sheets, and then create beautiful blue cyanotype prints on their own freshly made sheets of paper. For more information, visit https://pyramidatlanticartcenter.org/event/cyanotypes-on-handmade-paper-jul2026/

Check out the Experimental Papermaking: Sculpting with Dimension, Texture + Relief workshop at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. In this workshop, we will advance traditional  papermaking by transforming pulp into a dimensional, sculptural material. Participants move beyond flat sheets to investigate relief building, material integration, and alternative application methods. Through structured guidance and open experimentation, participants will hone their focus on texture, form, and personal inclusions, and will leave with a diverse collection of unique works reflecting advanced material curiosity. No prior experience necessary. All levels welcome. July 26–August 7. For more information, visit https://www.haystack-mtn.org/summer-workshops-details

Thursday, July 30, Science Night with the Portland Pickles with Pulp + Deckle. Drop in and make recycled paper seed shapes embedded with cucumber seeds with them. To explore other upcoming workshops, visit https://pulpanddeckle.com/workshops

EVENTS

Join The Japanese Paper Place for their Founder's Series Artists' Talks: Dominique Prévost & Susan Ruptash Wednesday, July 15. Walk the washi trail with Dominique and Susan as they share highlights of their adventure to three of Japan's Heritage-Washi hotspots. What do two washi-obsessed artists do when they go to Japan? They visit the makers of their favourite Heritage Washi! Seeking a deeper connection to the Heritage Washi they use in their artwork, Dominique Prévost and Susan Ruptash visited Oguni Washi in Niigata prefecture, Kurotani Village near Kyoto, and Sekishu Washi in Shimane. Warmly welcomed by all, they visited the kozo fields, walked the villages, and along the mountain streams. Not just watching the process, Susan and Dominique participated in kozo-fibre preparation and washi-sheet forming, met many washi makers, and had the opportunity to observe the similarities and the differences between the three locations. Add beautiful small lodgings, and incredible food to the mix and you have a trip worth talking about. For more information, visit https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/founders-series-artists-talks-dominique-prevost-susan-ruptash-tickets-1990982850301?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

The next North American Hand Papermakers (NAHP) conference, Rooted in Fiber, will be held September 24-27, in Baltimore, Maryland. North American Hand Papermakers invites you to Rooted in Fiber, our annual conference featuring demos, workshops, lectures, and discussions led by Papermaking artists, scholars and practitioners. Rooted in Fiber focuses on relationships with the fibers that connect us. At this conference we will examine the literal and figurative connective strands that make us Papermakers, as well as the vitality that stems from interconnection. We dig into the radical roots of hand papermaking beyond a medium for making – in celebrating 40 Years of Hand Papermaking Magazine we come together planting seeds for paper, people, and beyond. For more information, and to stay up to date on any more upcoming news about this conference, visit https://www.northamericanhandpapermakers.org/rooted-in-fiber-2026

EXHIBITIONS

Fungi papers "Mykobütten" - Agaricales Album and Color Samples, on view now until December 31, 2028 at Deutsches Technikmuseum. Visitors can see Tanja Major's mushroom papers Mykobütten Agaricales album and color samples in a display case in the paper department of the German Museum of Technology in Berlin.

Charmey Paper Art​ Biennale 2026 is on view until February 10, 2027 at Musée De Charmey. 53 Artists from 15 countries of which many IAPMA members: Petra Grupp, Wolfgang Kowar, Monika Wellnitz, Barbara Mydlak, Maria Carolina Larrea, Kirsten Møller Nielsen, Minnamarina Tammi, Elisabeth Beurret, Margot Buffet, Philippe Cardillo, Viviane Colautti Ivanova, Elizabeth Lefranc, Florence Pinson-Ynden, Toshiko Watanabe, Ola Pietrzak-Pieczyńska, Marie-Claire Meier, Marie-Laure Miazza, Gaby Studer, Senol Tatli, Therese Weber.

OPPORTUNITIES

The 2026 Taos Paper Retreat with Helen Hiebert. Capture the Light in the Southwest Create paper surfaces that are enhanced with illumination and can be incorporated into wall art, artist’s books, suspended forms or sculptural works. As of June 27, 2026 there is one spot available. Email Helen if you’re interested, helen@helenhiebertstudio.com

We want to promote your projects! If you have any news, upcoming events, or open opportunities let us know at newsletter@hand-papermaking.org

special thanks to our donors

Hand Papermaking acknowledges recent contributors to our nonprofit programs. All donations are greatly appreciated and tax deductible. Our tax ID number is 52-1436849. Call or write for information on annual giving levels, automatic monthly gifts, and other ways to support us.

benefactors: Mark Tomasko, Beck Whitehead

patrons: Tom Balbo, Lisa Cirando, Sid Berger &
Michèle Cloonan, Sue Gosin, Darin Murphy, Erik Saarmaa, Michelle Samour, Kenneth Tyler

underwriters: Yousef Ahmed, John Cirando, Vijay Dhawan, Lois & Gordon James, Ingrid Rose

sponsors: Eric Avery, Tom & Lore Burger, Kerri Cushman, Susan Mackin Dolan, Devie Dragone,
Michael Durgin, Michael Fallon, Jane Farmer, Kim Grummer, Helen Hiebert, Robyn Johnson &
Peter Newland, Debora Mayer, Marcia Morse, Robert Specker, H. Paul Sullivan, Mina Takahashi, Aviva Weiner, Kathy Wosika

donors: May Babcock, Alisa Banks, Tom Bannister, Sarah Louise Brayer, Ann Cicale, Amanda Degener, John Dietel, Karla & Jim Elling, David Engle, Jerry Exline, Helen Frederick, Lori Goodman, Richard Haynes, Margaret Heineman, Shireen Holman, Kyoko Ibe, Jamie Kamph, Enid Keyser, June Linowitz, Julie McLaughlin, Sharon Morris, Jeannine Mulan, Anela Oh, Elaine Nishizu, Nancy Pike, Alta Price, Joy Purcell, Renee Rogers, Annabelle Shrieve, Thomas Siciliano, Kathleen Stevenson, Bernie Vinzani, April Vollmer, Paul Wong

supporters: Marlene Adler, John Babcock, Timothy Barrett, Kathryn Clark, Nancy Cohen, Marian Dirda, Iris Dozer, Tatiana Ginsberg, Mabel Grummer,  Guild of Papermakers, Lisa Haque, Robert Hauser, Viviane Ivanova, Kristin Kavanagh, Susan Kanowith-Klein, David Kimball, Steve Kostell, Lea Basile-Lazarus, Aimee Lee, Winifred Lutz, MP Marion, Edwin Martin, Lynne Mattot, Ann McKeown, Tim Moore & Pati Scobey, Catherine Nash, Nancy Pobanz, Melissa Potter, Brian Queen, Dianne Reeves, Carolyn Riley, Michele Rothenberger, Pamela Wood

friends: Jack Becker, Anne Beckett, Lee Cooper, Elizabeth Curren, Dorothy Field, Lucia Harrison, Margaret Miller, Deborah Sternberg-Service, Don Widmer

in-kind donations: Janet De Boer, John Gerard, Dard Hunter III, Microsoft Corporate Citizenship, Steve Miller

contributors to our 2025 auction fundraising event: Amanda Degener, Frances JJ, James Ojascastro, Lesley Dill, Dieu Donné, Round Top Paper, Ilze Dilane, Heike Berl, Kyoko Ibe, Amy Richard, Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, Paper Circle, The Befuddled Press, Tom Balbo, Arnold Grummer's Papermaking, Sophia Hotzler, Susan Mackin Dolan, Red Hot Fibre, Carriage House Paper, Janus Press, Cave Paper, Tasniya Tarmin, Lynn Sures, Darin Murphy, Hook Pottery Paper, Aimee Lee, Botanical Colors, Washi Arts, Lois James, Helen Hiebert.

AND THANKS TOO TO OUR SPONSORS

Arnold Grummer’s, the Papertrail Handmade Paper & Book Arts, Penland School of Craft, The Robert C. Williams Papermaking Museum, Carriage House Papers and Dieu Donné.

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