Hidden Labor in the Art and Craft of Papermaking

For over 44 years, Dieu Donné has explored the untapped potential of hand papermaking as an art medium. We introduce artists from a wide variety of practices to the creative possibilities in hand papermaking, fostering experimentation and creating innovative works of art. Our work is realized through extensive collaborations with artists. We strive to teach a new visual language, providing a transformative experience that often leads to artistic breakthroughs. We are excited share this work with the community through these online artistic and educational programs.

Dieu Donné

Virtual artist talk with papermakers Aimee Lee, Velma Bolyard, and Tatiana Ginsberg

In this talk, artists Aimee Lee and Velma Bolyard will discuss their creative work in and with handmade paper and the traditions they draw on, based on their recent essays in Papermaker’s Tears: Essays on the Art and Craft of Papermaking, Volume 2. In conversation with the series editor Tatiana Ginsberg, Dieu Donné Director of Artistic Projects, Aimee and Velma will discuss their research and personal experiences of keeping traditions alive through use. Aimee Lee writes about toolmakers Ronald MacDonald and Howard Clark, whose handmade tools have allowed generations of papermakers to beat pulp and form sheets. Velma Bolyard’s essay traces her personal journey of discovering shifu, woven paper cloth, and teaching it to others. Both artists make, spin, dye, and weave paper into dimensional forms and books, and draw upon traditional and contemporary practices.You can learn more about the new volume of Papermaker’s Tears: Essays on the Art and Craft of Papermaking <a href="https://www.oakknoll.com/pages/books/139143/tatiana-ginsberg/papermaker-s-tears-essays-on-the-art-and-craft-of-paper-vol-2" title="https://www.oakknoll.com/pages/books/139143/tatiana-ginsberg/papermaker-s-tears-essays-on-the-art-and-craft-of-paper-vol-2" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>. ABOUT THE ARTISTSAimee Lee is an artist who makes paper, writes, and advocates for Korean papermaking practices. Designated as an Ohio Arts Council Heritage Fellow, she is a two-time Fulbright scholar to Korea, where she learned about making hanji, its applications, and its tools, and has studied with various Korean national and provincial holders of intangible cultural heritage since 2009. Her research led to the first hanji studio in North America, an award-winning book, Hanji Unfurled, and an active studio practice that includes jiseung, joomchi, paper textile, botanical paper, book art, and natural dyeing techniques. She has shared these techniques and stories across the world and from her private hanji studio east of Cleveland. <a href="https://aimeelee.net/" title="https://aimeelee.net/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://aimeelee.net/</a>Velma Bolyard is a mother, artist and teacher. Living north of the Adirondacks, she forages for and cultivates fibers, dye and papermaking plants. She makes paper, threads, spins kami-ito, weaves shifu and most recently makes fish skin parchment and spins and cultivates wild silks for her artists’ books. A papermaker since 1977, her specialty is local plant papers and flax which she colors with plants and earth pigments. She delights in edges, selvedges, deckles, and ecotones where the woods meet open land; that’s where she finds the material and stories for her work. Small adventures, stories, sometimes show up as poems in her books. Velma retired from teaching special education and now focuses on making paper, shifu and artists’ books. She teaches papermaking and book arts at St Lawrence University and has travelled in North America and Australia to teach workshops and master classes, and recently returned from the CODEX Book Fair. <a href="https://www.velmabolyard.com/" title="https://www.velmabolyard.com/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">www.velmabolyard.com/</a>Tatiana Ginsberg studied papermaking and book arts at the University of Iowa Center for the Book and received her MFA from the University of California, Santa Barbara. In between she spent two years in Japan researching naturally dyed papers under a Fulbright grant. Returning to the U.S. she taught papermaking, printmaking, book arts, and drawing in universities for more than a decade. As Director of Artistic Projects and Master Collaborator at Dieu Donné she works with other artists to make new work in handmade paper. She also edits the series Papermaker’s Tears: Essays on the Art and Craft of Paper for The Legacy Press. Her own work combines traditional and contemporary methods of papermaking and is exhibited nationally and internationally. <a href="http://tatianaginsberg.org/" title="http://tatianaginsberg.org/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">www.tatianaginsberg.org/</a>

Above: Howie Clark working on large beater roll in his shop in Brookston, Indiana Banner Image: The late Ron Macdonald sewing a mould (England)

Above: Velma Bolyard, The Grief Book, shifu cover, flax paper lining, Velma’s handmade botanical and cotton paper pages. Stationer’s binding, made to be used in a therapeutic setting for Wendy Golden-Levitt, for working with children and adults recovering from trauma.

About Dieu DonnéDieu Donné is the leading non-profit cultural institution dedicated to serving emerging and established artists through the collaborative creation of contemporary art using the process of hand papermaking.Since 1976, Dieu Donné has introduced artists to the untapped potential of hand papermaking as an art medium through residencies, fellowships, exhibitions, workshops, artist talks, and publications. Through extensive collaborations with Master Papermakers, Dieu Donné works with artists from a wide variety of practices to explore the creative possibilities in hand papermaking – fostering experimentation and producing innovative works of art. Dieu Donné strives to teach a new visual language, providing a transformative experience that leads to artistic breakthroughs. How to AttendThis online event will take place on Tuesday, June 12th from 1:00 —2:00 PM EST. Attendees can access the live event through Eventbrite’s Online Event Page. (Please note that you will need to log into Eventbrite to access the talk.) The talk will last approximately 45 minutes, followed by questions. This program is pay-what-you-can, with a suggested donation of $5.00.All Dieu Donné virtual events include the option of live automated captioning. A captioned recording of this event will be posted online following the event. If you have any questions or access requests, please contact our Grant &amp; Education Manager, Hannah Katz, at hkatz@dieudonne.org. This program is made possible in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and generous foundation and individual support.

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Hidden Labor in the Art and Craft of Papermaking

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Hidden Labor in the Art and Craft of Papermaking

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