Earth | Paper | Sky 2016 - John Risseeuw, 2016 Anita Lynn Forgach Keynote Lecture

John Risseeuw, 2016 Anita Lynn Forgach Keynote Lecture, by Paul Romaine

President Jennifer Baker introduced John Risseeuw of Cabbagehead Press with a short, thoughtful speech about the importance of teaching to sustaining hand papermaking. Displaying the Hand Papermaking Family Tree, a family tree printed in the journal Hand Papermaking, based on a survey of 80 contemporary paper makers, Baker noted how "teachers build our community" and asked everyone to "honor the teacher of your teacher and your teacher's teacher, and their teacher," and so she thanked Andrea Peterson for bringing her to the craft. The map/tree is online at http://handpapermakingcommunity.wordpress.com

Baker acknowledged John Risseeuw as one such teacher, who had learned and shared the craft at Arizona State University from which he recently retired. A founding president of the College Book Art Association, he also had a long and proud history in using printmaking, papermaking, and letterpress for social activism.

John Risseeuw thanked Baker for her remarks and the Friends for honoring him in having him deliver the 2016 Anita Lynn Forgach Keynote Lecture. He began his talk by noting the many interesting topics in papermaking which he would love to see researched and published by hand papermaking researchers:

• Cotton fiber: we don’t know enough about how the manufacturing process affects cotton fiber in papermaking. For example, does mercerization change the fiber for beating? What are the effects on paper fiber of other industrial processes, such as those making fabrics wrinkle-free or flame-retardant? Is there a species of cotton that beats better or is processing more important or are other factors involved?

• Silk paper. Silk isn't cellulose, it's a protein, but how, from a chemical or molecular perspective, does silk make such great paper?

• Basket fibers. There should be more research on using indigenous basket fibers in papermaking--it's an under-studied area.

• Quarto and laid paper moulds. Were there ever vertical laid moulds? Printers and librarians know that printers have long preferred to have laid lines horizontal to the text, but in quarto format books, the laid lines are vertical. Did a printer ever commission a vertical laid mould? It was always said to be never done, but have there been exceptions?

• Paper presses. What were the technical differences between different types of presses and how did the pressure levels of 40 pounds vs 40 tons affect the resulting paper and at what threshold levels did those changes occur? Yes, higher pressures made papers resemble calendared sheets, but with what different pressure levels? From a technical perspective, what were those differences, and what are the threshold pressure levels? What are the advantages of a very powerful press? This seemed to be an incredibly important issue, for all papermakers. Perhaps it would do something to reduce press envy.

Earth | Paper | Sky - Late Night Pecha Kucha Power Session, by Catherine Nash

Late Night Pecha Kucha Power Session, by Catherine Nash

Jay Fox and Kerri Cushman hosted a power talk by 6 dynamic Friends on Saturday night. Pecha Kucha is a high speed way of covering a lot of informational ground without excess time to deviate: each presenter was allowed 20 slides with an auto image sequencing every 20 seconds...a total of about 6 minutes. It was high energy and lots of fun!

I was so grateful for my scholarship this year to attend the Santa Fe meeting - more often than not I cannot attend and I sit at home chomping at the bit as I wait for some published news about the amazing presentations and demos at the FDH annual meetings. I hope you will placate me as I have thoroughly written about each presenter - I’m so happy to report on these inspirational talks and I hope this satisfies your curiosity~

Helen Hiebert’s theme was “A Papermaker’s Challenge” and she outlined her creatively diverse way of making a living from papermaking. Hiebert is a talented artist who often collaborates with community in her installations such as Mother Tree and has permanent works such as The Wish installed in a library in Thornton, Colorado. She recently exhibited The Secret Life of Paper: 25 years of Works in Paper, a retrospective exhibition at the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center (KBAC) and Western Michigan University in April 2016.

While these installations and artworks are not necessarily money makers, they come straight from the heart and offer her enrichment and connections in a deep and meaningful way. Hiebert also creates artist books which offer her a steady income stream by sales through her own website and artist book sellers such as Vamp & Tramp. She is an educator and a prolific author, having published such classics as The Papermaker’s Companion and Papermaking with Garden Plants and videos such as The Papermaker’s Studio Guide and Water Paper Time.

Earth | Paper | Sky 2016 - Demonstrations in the Botanical Garden at Museum Hill, by Julie Weaver

Demonstrations in the Botanical Garden at Museum Hill, by Julie Weaver

Starring:

- Catherine Nash- Translucent paper casting with oriental fibers
- Carol Tyroler – The Art of Amate
- Anne Covell- Demonstration of Japanese Papermaking / Cover-Making Technique

The sky was clear and there was paper being made! It was a stunning day in the Botanical Garden on Museum Hill. After navigating down the dirt and stone path, surrounded by interesting plants, cacti, and vegetation, I found myself at a platform with the two talented papermakers, Anne Covell and Carol Tyroler. There were chairs set out for the patient viewer however the demonstrations were too inviting and tempting to not hover around and look on in amazement. Amate was a new material to me. It’s rich and lavish dark brow color made it irresistible. Smooth stones with expertly carved edges pounded into the woven material. It was an immediate reminder of the complex and global history of papermaking. Carol generously let viewers give it a try and even take home a small sample.

At the other table where Anne was located, there were ample supplies and materials to look at. She had finely tuned her craft and made the complicated process look effortless. Her brilliant 3-D-carved blocks were intriguing and elegant, but looked as if they had been around for ages. With plastic wrap and a large brush she was able to make magic happen. 

Last but not least, located in a fabulous nook of the garden was Catherine. Her station was overflowing with people and conversation. The demonstration was irresistible. There was a balance of strength in the stick structures or “frames” paired with the fragile use of fibers. Catherine’s method of pouring and constant motion kept the demo moving and questions flowing. Clearly at ease with her practice, the smooth confidence and thorough knowledge was a delight for anyone watching. I cannot think of a better backdrop for such an informative and beautiful afternoon.

- Julie Weaver

Many thanks to FDH Member Julie Weaver for this article! 

And special bonus, demonstrator Catherine Nash has generously shared the following resources related to her demo below.

Sculptural process: http://www.hatchfund.org/showcase/process_of_a_new_sculptural_work_by_catherine_nash
Art: catherinenash.com
Book: authenticvisualvoices.com
Workshops, articles & blog: papermakingresources.com

Earth | Paper | Sky 2016 - Demonstrations at the Palace of the Governors, by Sarah Krupa

Demonstrations at the Palace of the Governors, by Sarah Krupa

This year’s conference had a inspiring range of paper-making ingenuity demonstrated to us at the Palace of the Governors. To kick off the demonstrations the ever-ambitious Yama Ploskonka set up a full water-recycling papermaking studio (or was it a carnival?) right outside the back doors of the museum leading into the courtyard. The roar of his vacuum pump sucked the crowd in and his energy kept them interested. On site he demonstrated his pulp-mixer (a giant Tupperware container with a garbage disposal within), his water-saving vacuum pump (a shop-vac contraption complete with movable parts fit perfectly for his mould and deckle) the full process from one large vat, vertical couching station, and the huge layered pulp-imaging station used to show that the vacuum pump works even on large-format paper sizes.

To compliment this set up was the meditative large-scale modular mould demonstration by Hong Hong. After showing off her 12ft x 8ft paper pieces during the presentation sessions, her demonstration was small by comparison—but magical nonetheless. The deep blue kozo was splashed and sprayed and poured beneath a tree still shedding its leaves. The small yellow leaves embedded themselves within the forming-sheet and pulled together the connection between Earth Paper and Sky.

Set up in the sun was the dye-namic duo with their steaming cauldron of natural dyes. Rachael Mayer and Naomi Adams were showing off the beauty and simplicity of steam-dyeing fiber materials. They walked each group through the full process of which raw sources of dye work best for spreading across and rolling into paper, then the protective fabric to hold the capsule together with string (which were accidental beauties on their own). They did a few rounds in the allotted time and by the end you could see the results of varying times and types of dyestuff in the steam pot. They came prepared with well-organized binders full of past experiments and projects which were well worth the look-through.

- Sarah Krupa

Many thanks to FDH Member Sarah Krupa for this article!

PechaKucha night in Santa Fe Seeking Presenters

Kerri Cushman and Jay Fox are hosting a PechaKucha night in Santa Fe at the Friends of Dard Hunter conference this fall because we are always in awe of what the membership has been up to. PechaKucha is a presentation format that gives 20 seconds per slide, 20 slides per presenter. This means you can put your best work forward, your craziest projects, or your most beloved processes.

Now we need you. The conference is a ways off, and that gives you plenty of time to practice and perfect your 6 minute 40 second presentation. Please send a brief synopsis and 1 – 3 sample images to Kerri and Jay. Everyone is encouraged to apply, artists, students, scientists, and everyone in between!

Proposals are due August 28th . Email to Kerri and Jay at: cushmankl@longwood.edu and jayfox4@gmail.com

We look forward to seeing you in Sante Fe!

http://www.pechakucha.org has more information on this presentation format.

Earth, Paper, Sky Conference Registration is Open!

Earth Paper Sky, the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Friends of Dard Hunter
October 20-23, 2016
Santa Fe, New Mexico

You are invited to Earth Paper Sky, the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Friends of Dard Hunter, held in beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico. Enjoy a long weekend of conversation and activities filled with handmade paper!

The conference starts Thursday, October 20 with a talk given by the 2016 Keynote Speaker, John L. Risseeuw. Then, enjoy two days of demonstrations, lectures, studio tours, the member's exhibition, and an evening banquet with a live auction. Hope to see you there!

More Conference & Registration Information http://www.friendsofdardhunter.org/conference.html

ABOUT THE FRIENDS OF DARD HUNTER: The Friends of Dard Hunter is an organization for hand papermakers and anyone with a passion for paper. Since 1981 we have been connecting and educating papermakers in America and all over the world. Our name honors the life and work of Dard Hunter (1881-1966), whose travels, research, and writing are the most extensive of anyone in the field of hand papermaking; we support the Dard Hunter collection of the Robert C. Williams Paper Museum. We hold an annual conference in different regions of North America, and we sponsor exhibitions of the art and science of papermaking here in abroad.

Call for Proposals: Earth Paper Sky 2016 Conference in Santa Fe

The Friends of Dard Hunter are excited to welcome your proposals for Earth Paper Sky. Send in your ideas for talks, demonstrations, and panels by Monday, April 4th.

Download the PDF call for proposals HERE.