Intro to Paper Collage: A "Creativity Booster Shot" with Joni Ulman Lewis

3-Hour Workshop

Date: Saturday, October 18, 2025

Time: 10am-1pm

Description: Bring you creativity, love of paper, and a sense of humor for a fun pep talk with collage artist Joni Uman Lewis (whose cards you might have seen in The Store at Contemporary Craft!). You'll leave with a big handful of handmade cards, collages and good stories!

During the workshop: Joni will share her work and process then explain and demonstrate some of the ways that she hand makes her greeting cards and paper collages. She'll suggest a few twists and tricks to loosen up your usual style. Then we’ll all move our hands around to make some finished collage projects suitable for framing or snail mailing. Be prepared to repurpose, rethink and recycle!

Joni will tote along plenty of inspiration and some of her favorite vintage materials to share. Additionally, participants are encouraged to bring a small handful of objects such as favorite snapshots, handwritten letters, drawings and ephemera to include in their artwork.

Joni promises to make you laugh and have fun!

Tuition: $65 + $20 materials fee

Note: We really want you to join us in the studio! Full and partial tuition scholarships are available to offset some of the financial burden of attending a class.

Please fill out the application here! You can expect to hear from someone on the CC staff within 2 weeks.

If you have any questions, email Jamie Boyle, Fibers Program Manager, at jboyle@contemporarycraft.org, or leave a voice message for them at 412-465-1639.

Materials: Collage kits will be provided. Participants are encouraged to bring a small handful of objects such as favorite snapshots, handwritten letters, drawings and ephemera.

Location: Contemporary Craft, Timmons Studios (5688 Butler St., Pittsburgh, PA 15201). Note, this workshop will take place in the Paper Studio, which is on the first floor of the building.

There are 2 entrances to the Timmons Studios.

• One entrance is facing Butler Street. To access the Paper Studio from the Butler Street facing entrance, there are a total of 8 stairs to ascend.

• One entrance is facing 57th Street. This entrance is accessible by ramp, with no stairs to ascend. The paper studio is located down the hall from this entrance.

If there are accessibility accommodations we can provide, or if there is anything you would like us to know before you arrive, please feel free to call Jamie Boyle at 412-465-1639 or email jboyle@contemporarycraft.org.

Cancellations and Refunds: Workshop cancellations are decided three business days before the start date. If workshops must be cancelled due to insufficient enrollment, the entire class fee will be refunded through Eventbrite, or you may leave your workshop fee in your Contemporary Craft account for future workshops.

Refund Policy: Student refund requests must be made at least three business days before a class begins. There will be a $25 cancellation fee. No refunds will be given without three-business days notice. Processing of refunds takes approximately three weeks.

Joni Ulman Lewis at work in her studio.

About the Artist

Joni Ulman Lewis is a mixed media artist from Fredericksburg, Va. She attended art school at Virginia Commonwealth University back when they still designed with pencils. Post graduation, she stayed in Richmond to work in visual merchandising for the beloved Miller&Rhoads and Thalhimer's department stores where she made many lifelong friends. Her first serious relationship was with a xerox color copier, which became her gateway to a future as a paper and collage artist. Her hand sewn greeting cards with strong opinions and a hilarious point of view were a natural next step as a way to utilize her skills. Joni's love of cashmere has also found a purpose. Sweaters rescued from early retirement have been successfully rehabilitated and restyled as scarves and hats. In addition to story telling through art, Joni has visited the stage at NPR's 'The Moth'. You can hear those stories on her website www.joniulmanlewis.com