Helen Hiebert's Blog, page 5
December 14, 2024
Star Lantern
The Sunday Paper #536
December 15, 2024
We’re starting year five of The Paper Year in January. Above left, you see a sneak peak of the next several months. Each month we explore a different technique for working with paper; and every quarter we enjoy a project designed by a guest artist; a live online Zoom workshop; and a visit from a paper supplier.
To kick of registration for The Paper Year, I’m hosting a FREE mini-workshop on Zoom! This workshop will take place on Tuesday, 12/17 at Noon mountain time (GMT – 7). Come make a Photo Cube with me and insert your own artwork, photos, etc. The session will begin with a short, face-paced overview of The Paper Year, followed by the workshop. Register for this event and get the supply list here.
The third video in my Thoughtful Thursdays series is out now – a Star Lantern. Hop on over to my YouTube channel to check it out.
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We explored Woven Quilt Tiles in The Paper Year last month. with our guest artist Rona Gurkewitz. Here are some variations on the theme by Paper Year Members (clockwise): June Tyler, Heidi Willoughby, Gina Pisello, and Cynthia Busch. Click here to watch the 5-minute video that shows everything else that was created last month, including the paste papers we created in a workshop with Andrew Huot.
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How interesting! Hypnotic in nature and bursting with color, marbled paper has captivated attention for centuries due to its fantastical patterns and impressive craftsmanship. It has not only dazzled people throughout history, but it is also experiencing a resurgence in the craft world today. Check out this round-up of marbled paper products.
Giannini Firenze, an Italian family-owned business, has been a prominent name in the stationery and bookbinding industry since 1856.
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This is a fascinating video that gives a nice introduction to French wallpaper. Watch as the narrator points out various intricacies about the paper and printing. The Art of French Wallpaper: the Huard Collection at the RISD Museum, is on view at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum through May 11, 2025.
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These Danish hearts are fun to make for the December holidays, as well as Valentine’s Day!
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Paper TidbitsHave you had a chance to listen to my interview with Joanna Gair on Paper Talk?In 2021, I started a tradition – creating a list of 100 favorite paper resources of the year. For 2024, I’d love to include your recommendations as well. Tell me about them here. Deadline: 12/15/24.—–—————————————————————————————–––––––
In My Studio ShopDuring the holiday season, I’m featuring a few products in my online shop. Click on each image to be transported to the shop.
If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper?
Tell 4000 paper enthusiasts about your work by promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.
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SHARE THIS blog post with your paper-loving friends!
I occasionally have affiliate links in my blog posts – links to products in which I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!
The post Star Lantern appeared first on Helen Hiebert Studio.
December 7, 2024
Window Stars
The Sunday Paper #535
December 8, 2024
We’re starting year five of The Paper Year in January. Here’s a sneak peak of the next several techniques we’ll be exploring. This is what member Dale Emmart has to say about the group:
The Paper Year offers an authentic community of maker-type folks from all over the globe via Zoom and email. It allows novices and experts to turn sheets of paper into thoughtful, dynamic, and curious projects. Helen’s clear instruction, warm humor, comprehensive knowledge of paper engineering, and love of craft are the glue that keeps us together. I recommend The Paper Year to all self-motivated makers.
To kick of registration for The Paper Year, I’m hosting a FREE mini-workshop on Zoom! This workshop will take place on Tuesday, 12/17 at Noon mountain time (GMT – 7) (apologies for stating the wrong date last week). Come make a Photo Cube with me and insert your own artwork, photos, etc. The session will begin with a short, face-paced overview of The Paper Year, followed by the workshop. Register for this event and get the supply list here.
The third video in my Thoughtful Thursdays series is out now – a Window Star. Hop on over to my YouTube channel to check it out.
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I had the pleasure of speaking with Joanna Gair on Paper Talk, a multifaceted visual artist and papermaker, living and working in Devonport, North-west Tasmania. After graduating with a first-class degree in Visual Art from the South Australian School of Art in 1993, she established her studio in North-west Scotland in 1999. Since then, she has blended her skills as a visual artist with the ancient craft of papermaking, forging a career marked by creativity, innovation, and sustainability.
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On the topic of Tasmania, the videos from the 2024 Paper on Skin
fashion show are now available! Film One comprises the Welcome to Country by Dave Mangenner Gough, plus the eighteen works featured in the first half of the gala. Film Two showcases the remaining sixteen works presented during the second half.
Image: Hirakata, Rosa (AUS) Shifu Paper Cloth. Grant Wells Photo
As many of you know, I was lucky to be able to attend this event live. While I was down under, I also attended a retreat and gave a talk for a wonderful group, Papermakers of Victoria. Here’s a link to their summer newsletter, with articles about these events, along with one about Paper on Skin. Founded in 1989, based in Melbourne, with members around Australia and the world,
A bit about Papermakers of Victoria: this is a group committed to sharing and teaching the skills of making paper by hand, along with book binding, printmaking, collage, sculpture and many other paper arts. For a modest fee, members have access to a fully equipped studio as well as workshops, a library, online lectures and artist talks, an exhibition program and a quarterly newsletter called The Deckle Edge. Prior to joining, newcomers are welcome to meet members at one of their regular gatherings to chat about their interests. Overseas members can enjoy many of these benefits, online, and become part of a friendly, creative community.
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Eric and Martin Demaine are featured in a recent They fold pieces of paper by hand along geometrically-derived lines and magically transform flat sheets into intricately curved constructions—while at the same time proving math theorems! An exhibition of their work is also .
Devil’s Gold, 2021
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This is a lovely article about how Arion Press, in San Fransisco, is keeping the art of bookmaking alive while looking to the future.
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Paper TidbitsIn 2021, I started a tradition – creating a list of 100 favorite paper resources of the year. For 2024, I’d love to include your recommendations as well. Tell me about them here. Deadline: 12/15/24.I will be co-teaching with Tim Barrett at PBI (the Paper & Book Intensive) next May. Scholarship applications are due 12/31, and registration begins in the new year.Weave Through Winter is coming! Registration opens on New Year’s Day, and class will run Feb 1-28, with a kick off on January 31st.There is one spot left in the Taos Paper Retreat (July 20-26, 2025)—–—————————————————————————————–––––––
In My Studio ShopAs the holidays approach, I’m featuring a few products in my online shop. Click on each image to be transported to the shop.
If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper?
Tell 4000 paper enthusiasts about your work by promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.
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SHARE THIS blog post with your paper-loving friends!
I occasionally have affiliate links in my blog posts – links to products in which I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!
The post Window Stars appeared first on Helen Hiebert Studio.
November 30, 2024
Book Lights
The Sunday Paper #534
December 1, 2024
FREE Zoom mini-workshop alert! Come make a Photo Cube with me. The session will begin with a short, face-paced overview of The Paper Year, followed by the workshop. (The Paper Year will open for registration that day).
Register for this event and get the supply list here. This workshop will take place on Weds, 12/20 at Noon mountain time (GMT – 7).
The second video in my Thoughtful Thursdays series is out now. Hop on over to my YouTube channel to check it out. These videos are my holiday gift to you. Project #2 is this Pop-Up Tree. Make a forest!
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In 2021, I started a tradition – creating a list of 100 favorite paper resources of the year. For 2024, I’d love to include your recommendations as well. Tell me about them here. Deadline: 12/15/24. Click on the image below to see last year’s picks.
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Check out these adorable Book Lights by David Hawcock. Get ready for bed with some baby dinosaurs. Read the story then twist and the book becomes your very own nightlight. Sweet dreams!
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On the left is a mugunghwa (rose of sharon) Hanji craft work by Hanjiroum Studio founders and sisters Kwon Young-eun and Young-hyun. Fun fact: You can learn to make paper with rose of sharon stems in my book, Papermaking with Garden Plants & Common Weeds.
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The 15th Animated Book Fair took place last weekend in Paris. I’m sure it was a delight – check out the participants’ work here.
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Paper TidbitsI’m heading home from Taos today, where I visited the Mabel Dodge Luhan house. I’ll be holding a retreat there in July. There are 2 spots left.The Craft Industry Alliance offering 25% off memberships this week. Use code CRAFTPOP through 12/2. I’m a member and learn so much as a craft business owner from this organization.Weave Through Winter is coming! Registration opens on New Year’s Day, and class will run Feb 1-28, with a kick off on January 31st.—–—————————————————————————————–––––––
In My Studio ShopAs the holidays approach, I’m featuring a few products in my online shop. Click on each image to be transported to the shop.
If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper?
Tell 4000 paper enthusiasts about your work by promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.
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SHARE THIS blog post with your paper-loving friends!
I occasionally have affiliate links in my blog posts – links to products in which I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!
The post Book Lights appeared first on Helen Hiebert Studio.
November 23, 2024
Create, Give, Share
The Sunday Paper #533
November 24, 2024
I’m releasing a video series, called Thoughtful Thursdays, over the next several weeks. The first one is out – hop on over to my YouTube channel to check it out. These videos are my holiday gift to you. I hope you will enjoy them and:
CREATE: Creating with our hands is powerful and rewarding.
GIVE: I love the feeling I get when I am creating something for someone else, and the delight in giving it to them is priceless (of course you can keep what you create).
SHARE: How about having a stack of paper ready to turn into delightful objects when your guests arrive over the holidays. Make these paper objects together with family and friends. I hope you’ll post what you create, and maybe you’ll even come up with a paper twist!
Project #1 is this Origami Candy Dish.
I’m wishing everyone in the US a wonderful Thanksgiving – look for my Pop-Up Tree Tutorial on Turkey Day!
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The Penland Gallery Online Shop is selling work by Western North Carolina artists without charging any commissions — to help support artists who were impacted by Hurricane Helene. Consider doing some holiday shopping on this site, which is filled with unique, hand crafted art. 100% of the proceeds from your purchase will go directly to the artists.
Images: Corey Pemberton and Tom Jaszczak
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Storey Publishing (the publisher of most of my how-to books) is having a Cyber Week sale now through December 3rd. Use code CYBER2024 to get 30% off sitewide & free shipping on orders $30+. Check out their craft, gardening, kids books and more (you can find 3 of my books on their site: The Art of Papercraft; Papermaking with Garden Plants & Common Weeds; and The Papermaker’s Companion).
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I’ve featured the work of Myriam Dion before, but wowza, she’s taking paper weaving to the next level! The stories Dion chooses to highlight (from old newspapers) often revolve around women and their accomplishments. Dion says: “It is interesting to see how women are documented in the media, especially at a time when newspapers were written by men for men and how this evolves and sometimes regresses depending on the subjects.”
As seen on Colossal: “Marie Curie, Radium discoverer to visit America, February 10, 1921” (2024), collage and weaving of newspaper and hand-cut Japanese paper, acrylic paint, felt, and gold leaf, 42 1/2 x 43 inches
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Check out this array of paper lanterns that were featured in the first ever lantern festival at Farnham Craft Town. The Lantern Festival welcomed all parts of the community, young and old, to express their creativity, get involved in making a lantern, and come together to light up a dark October evening. It began in the summer, when community groups, faith groups, schools and informal groups of friends created spectacular willow and paper lanterns.
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Paper TidbitsHave you had a chance to listen to my interview with Shanna Leino on Paper Talk?Weave Through Winter is coming! Registration opens on New Year’s Day, and class will run Feb 1-28, with a kick off on January 31st.There’s one spot left in my one-day online session through Maine Media Workshops in December. We’re making woven paper lanterns and a notebook – perfect for holiday gift giving.An opportunity to host a retreat at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House came up for me about a month ago, and I couldn’t pass it up. Read about my first Taos Paper Retreat – there are 2 spots left (I hope to make this an annual event).—–—————————————————————————————–––––––
In My Studio ShopAs the holidays approach, I’m featuring a few products in my online shop. Click on each image to be transported to the shop.
If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper?
Tell 4000 paper enthusiasts about your work by promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.
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SHARE THIS blog post with your paper-loving friends!
I occasionally have affiliate links in my blog posts – links to products in which I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!
The post Create, Give, Share appeared first on Helen Hiebert Studio.
November 16, 2024
Gospel of Three Dimensions
The Sunday Paper #532
November 17, 2024
I had the pleasure of interviewing Shanna Leino on Paper Talk. Leino is a studio artist with a fascination for the many forms of the book. After eight years in beautiful Frankfort, Michigan, she has returned to her home state of New Hampshire. She works in her studio, manufactures a small line of hand tools for bookbinders and craftspeople, and travels throughout the U.S. and occasionally abroad, teaching book and toolmaking workshops.
I share this sentiment of hers:
“The thrill of working, for me, is the process of discovery andproblem solving that comes with making something for the first time.”
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I’m a big fan of Kelli Anderson and can’t wait to get a copy of her new book: Alphabet in Motion: An ABC Pop-up Book on How Letters Get their Shape. The interactive pop-up book section features several innovative interactive elements: a “7-segment display” cover that animates A to Z; 17 interactive pop-ups and hands-on activities throughout; fluorescent inks; and a 128-page companion essay section which contains an essay for each pop-up and 300 color images from the history of type design. Join me in supporting her project on Kickstarter (which means you get a copy of the book).
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If you are in Brooklyn, check out CARVALHO PARK’s new exhibition, Gospel of Three Dimensions, introducing the work of Japanese-American sculptor, Mika Obayashi, through a site-responsive installation in the gallery’s 110 Waterbury St. space. Suspended through cotton string, hundreds of handmade sheets of fibrous abaca paper float between floor and ceiling in a delicate, drifting gradient of dark to light indigo. Obayashi invites viewers into this airy, floating matrix, which appears to swell skyward, filtering light through its stratifications like sunlight dappling through trees. I hope that someone who reads this gets to experience this work! On view through January 4, 2025.
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I love this! This fall, Artist Ellis Angel’s latest weaving series, The Censor’s Cut: Weavings for Intellectual Freedom, did not hang in a gallery or an art fair, but at a bookstore in Tulsa, Oklahoma. At Magic City Books, titles including A Court of Mist and Fury, Gender Queer, Flamer, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower, did not just sit on shelves but hung transformed–all shredded and rewoven (paper + yarn), with the bright yellow “Banned Books” tape plastered across their backs.
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A note of passing (and this might be behind a paywall if you aren’t a subscriber): Isabelle de Borchgrave created examples of 300 years of fashion history in paper, starting with the 15th century. The collection, which she and her collaborator Rita Brown called “Papiers à la Mode,” grew to more than 80 pieces and toured museums around the world.
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Paper Tidbits23 Sandy and Baylor University Libraries are hosting an international juried book arts exhibition called Ritual. Submit your work.Weave Through Winter is coming! Registration opens on New Year’s Day, and class will run Feb 1-28, with a kick off on January 31st.We’ll be making woven paper lanterns and books in a one-day online session through Maine Media Workshops in December – perfect for holiday gift giving. Join me!—–—————————————————————————————–––––––
In My Studio ShopAs the holidays approach, I’m featuring a few products in my online shop. I have ten 5-sheet sets of the abaca paper shown below. Click on the images to order.
If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper?
Tell 4000 paper enthusiasts about your work by promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.
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SHARE THIS blog post with your paper-loving friends!
I occasionally have affiliate links in my blog posts – links to products in which I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!
The post Gospel of Three Dimensions appeared first on Helen Hiebert Studio.
November 9, 2024
Continuum
The Sunday Paper #531
November 10, 2024
In 2016, I created a series of watermarked Word Broadsides. Here are two, and you can click through to view all 6 of them, as well as my sentiments about each word.
EQUALITY: I have been thinking a lot about equality (for years actually, but the 2016 election and women’s marches brought my thoughts to the forefront). There are so many ways to think about equality: women’s rights, human rights, sexual and gender bias, religious freedom, income inequalities, etc, etc, etc. Why do we feel powerful; when do we feel weak? This is my humble attempt to voice my feelings through a love of letterforms, watermarks and design. The root is love, the letters are blooming, and I was delighted to discover the grid/ladder that formed when the roots of the letters intertwined with the rainbow earth at the base of the image.
CONTINUUM: I love how the image lies subtly within the sheet of paper and without backlighting, is only slightly visible. I often think of my ancestors and descendants and how my life fits into the continuum. The image to me conjures a labyrinth-like path that we have all walked/are walking/will walk.
Keep on keeping on my friends. Sending love, always.
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Linda Marshall of Washi Arts was inspired by my recent conversations about Japanese papers (washi). She says: “First, after her recent trip to Japan, Helen highlighted papers made in Echizen and Mino; next in her podcast with Paul Denhoed who resides in Japan and spoke about the Oguni papers; and finally in her recent podcast with Nancy Jacobi of the Japanese Paper Place, who shared her passion for all Japanese papers and highlighted Sekishu, Seichosen and Seikosen as well as Oguni papers.”
These papers are all stocked in North America and are exciting materials for artists, bookbinders and printmakers to work with. Please explore this unique range of Japanese papers and the assortment packages that you can experiment with.
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Check this out: Notpla Ocean Paper is made to be recyclable and compostable, a remarkable zero-waste paper from a forest below the sea. This printable paper, created with seaweed, enables future-focused creatives and brands to challenge the status quo.
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In about 1995, I had the opportunity to work with a producer who made films for Sesame Street. He created this fun film at Dieu Donné Papermill, where I was working at the time. I still remember meeting him somewhere on the streets of NYC on my bicycle – he wanted to share the catchy jingle he wrote – probably on a walkman. I was grinning ear to ear s I listened.
Someone brought up this film in the Q&A after a lecture I gave a couple of weeks ago. Afterwards, a young woman named Harper, who is currently studying at the University of Iowa Center for the Book (UICB), told me that she got interested in papermaking when she saw a short film during childhood. She’d forgotten where she’d seen it, but when I said you could google “papermaking on Sesame Street” that day, she did, and she realized it was this film that led her to papermaking! How cool is that?!
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I found this artist’s talk by May Babcock to be a breath of fresh air, especially this week. She creates pulp paintings with natural materials, and reflects on the process and her time spent in nature.
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Paper TidbitsI’ll be talking about my recent Japan Paper Tour at a Puget Sound Book Arts lunchtime series (online) later this month. There are a few spots left.Weave Through Winter is coming! Registration opens on New Year’s Day, and class will run Feb 1-28, with a kick off on January 31st.Paper Year members explored Mini Accordions with a Removable Spine last month. Here’s a video showing off their variations.We’ll be making woven paper lanterns and books in a one-day online session through Maine Media Workshops in December – perfect for holiday gift giving. Join me!—–—————————————————————————————–––––––
About Our Sponsor: Washi Arts, located in the Pacific Northwest (USA) is a specialty retailer of fine Japanese papers, tools and supplies and a retail partner of The Japanese Paper Place in Toronto, Canada. Focused solely on papers from Japan, proprietor Linda Marshall curates and stocks a fine range of handmade and decorative sheets as well adhesives and specially tools for book and paper artists.
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In My Studio ShopAs the holidays approach, I’m featuring a few products in my online shop.
In 2021, I created an artist’s book, called Intensio. I have six different string drawings that I am offering as artist’s proofs, which can be framed or folded and kept as a movable object. (1-3 signed and numbered copies of each image are available). Click on the first image to access the page where you can view (and purchase) all six drawings.
If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper?
Tell 4000 paper enthusiasts about your work by promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.
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SHARE THIS blog post with your paper-loving friends!
I occasionally have affiliate links in my blog posts – links to products in which I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!
The post Continuum appeared first on Helen Hiebert Studio.
November 2, 2024
The Human Library
The Sunday Paper #530
November 3, 2024
I hope you slept that extra hour last night.
I was waiting for an idea to fall from the sky to address the upcoming election and the stress that I’m feeling, seeing, hearing and reading about. And then it dropped! My friend Lisa sent me an instagram message about The Human Library®. Now, I love libraries and happen to think they are one of the greatest inventions of all time. And I think about how humans are connected all the time – my installation work deals with this. So I had to do a little research, and was so pleased with what I found.
“The Human Library® provides some of the most stigmatized groups in the community with a chance to be unjudged,” said Ronni Abergel, CEO and head of administration for the Copenhagen-based non-profit organization. “We’re not fighting for diversity. We’re a safe space to explore it.”
At The Human Library®, human books are volunteers with personal experience with their topic. The Human Library® is a place where difficult questions are expected, appreciated and answered.
There are thousands, probably hundreds of thousands, of organizations around the world who, like The Human Library®, are working in communities large and small for the common good: neighbors helping neighbors across all kinds of divides.
As we await the outcome of the election (and who knows how long we’ll have to wait) I continue to have hope for our country and the world.
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Origami is typically associated with playground folds, not geometric patterns that can repeat infinitely on a single sheet of paper. These patterns are called origami tessellations and often look like snowflakes – perfect for winter decorating!
Whether you’re brand new to origami tessellations or have been folding them for years, Advent of Tessellations is a chance to enjoy 25 quick completions of small projects (over 25 days) that gradually build in difficulty so you can learn tessellation folding skills and have fun while doing it! Each tessellation is folded from a hexagon and takes around 30 minutes for an experienced origami folder to fold. Sign up to join Advent of Tessellations, where you’ll also find a supply list for the challenge and how to get them.
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I wrote about the recent exhibition Bark Paper a few weeks ago. Maḏayin: Eight Decades of Aboriginal Australian Bark Painting from Yirrkala presents a watershed moment in global art history, sharing with the American public a history of Aboriginal Australian bark painting curated by Yolŋu knowledge holders from Arnhem Land in Northern Australia. The exhibition’s presentation culminates in New York at Asia Society, through January 5, 2025.
Yäma Munuŋgirritj, ca. 1920–1987. Yarrwiḏi-Gumatj clan. Gurruŋawuy, 1961. Natural pigments on bark. H. 28 x W. 15 in. (71.1 x 38.1 cm). Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia. Edward L. Ruhe Collection, Gift of John W. Kluge, 1997.
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I’m not sure whether Anchorage is a winter destination (I hope to get a note about this) but this exhibition title sounds appropriate: Frozen Forms, created in collaboration with Collective Paper Aesthetics, a Netherlands-based architectural design group, is an installation of large sculptures that evoke ice crystal formations found in snow: stellar dendrite, needle, and capped column. While snowflakes’ crystalline structure forms through bonded water molecules, these forms are shaped by interlocking modular components made of recycled cardboard. Opening soon at the Anchorage Museum: November 15, 2024 – April 6, 2025.
Image credit: Mudam Luxembourg
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If you are anywhere near Boston, I highly recommend attending this lecture on November 8th at 2:30pm Eastern. John Buchtel will present an overview of the Boston Athenaeum’s exhibition The Art of Paper: Claire Van Vliet and the Janus Press. The talk will focus on Van Vliet’s innovations in hand papermaking and her imaginative non-adhesive book structures. I so wish I lived closer! An exhibition catalog will be available for purchase, too. If you can’t make it to the lecture, the exhibition is up through December 30th.
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Paper TidbitsHave you had a chance to listen to my interview with Nancy Jacobi on Paper Talk?We’ll be making woven paper lanterns and books in a one-day online session through Maine Media Workshops in December – perfect for holiday gift giving. Join me!I listened to a recent episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast with Deborah Balmuth, the editor who found me many moons ago. She talks about the business of craft books (if you were ever thinking of writing one) and I was delighted that she mentioned my book Papermaking With Plants, which is one of the first craft books she acquired.—–—————————————————————————————–––––––
About Our Sponsor: Gathering Folds teaches aspiring origami tessellation folders how to fold tessellations at all difficulty levels by teaching the skills and theory behind all tessellations so that you can enjoy folding any tessellation that you encounter and even start designing your own. These skills are taught through free challenges like Advent of Tessellations and paid courses and ebooks.
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In My Studio ShopAs the holidays approach, I’m going to be featuring a few products in my online shop.
In 2021, I created an artist’s book, called Intensio. I have six different string drawings that I am offering as artist’s proofs, which can be framed or folded and kept as a movable object. (1-3 signed and numbered copies of each image are available). Click on the first image to access the page where you can view (and purchase) all six drawings.
If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper?
Tell 4000 paper enthusiasts about your work by promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.
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SHARE THIS blog post with your paper-loving friends!
I occasionally have affiliate links in my blog posts – links to products in which I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!
The post The Human Library appeared first on Helen Hiebert Studio.
October 26, 2024
Alphabet In Motion
The Sunday Paper #529
October 27, 2024
This will be old news to some of you, but I wanted to make sure blog readers are in the loop (I also send a monthly e-newsletter, which went out last Thursday). In my keynote address at the North American Hand Papermaking conference last week, I talked about taking risks. I’ve come to realize that almost every time I take a risk, I discover opportunities I could never have imagined.
I contacted the Mabel Dodge Luhan House earlier this week – I was reminded of this retreat center in Taos, New Mexico at the papermaking conference – to see if they might have any openings in 2026. They wrote right back, saying they have an opening for July 2025. At first, I thought that was way too soon for me to organize, but then I decided I should consider it, because another opportunity like this might not come up for awhile.
I asked for help in turning the risk into reality (I have to pay a deposit to secure the site in 2 weeks) and was delighted by the initial response (thanks to those who expressed interest). Please fill out this short survey (by November 1st) if you are interested in the retreat.
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Travel to Italy with Book Arts in Venice June 16-27, 2025 to visit traditional book arts and letterpress studios. Work at the Scuola Internazionale di Grafica in Venice, and Tipoteca Italiana Fondazione, one of the largest typography museums in Europe, located in the foothills of the Dolomite Mountains. Visit historic sites including St. Mark’s Square, the Accademia Galleries, and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. Explore the beauty, art, and culture of the region in a small group with a seasoned, Italian-speaking travel guide, KBAC Executive Director, Jeff Abshear. 100% of previous Book Arts in Venice participants said they would recommend this trip. Perhaps this is your year to join us in Italy! This is what past participants are saying:
“Venice lives in my imagination every single day and I’m so grateful that I ever took this trip.”“The whole experience of ‘daily living’ in Venice was absolutely great.”
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I had the pleasure of interviewing Nancy Jacobi on Paper Talk. She is the founder of The Japanese Paper Place in Toronto, a business which she began 40 + years ago after her discovery of paper’s potential while teaching English in Japan. By supplying washi worldwide, offering workshops, lectures and exhibitions, the company continues its mission to encourage creativity by highlighting the potential of this too little-understood, powerful but endangered resource.
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I’m sorry that I learned about this installation (and fundraiser) by Mona Huneidi after it ended (just last week). It is such a powerful piece – I think it will be exhibited again. I encourage you to click through and read the artist’s statement.
Mona Huneidi, Targeted: 100+ Kites, 2024, the artist in front of the installation at Performance Works Northwest, Portland, Oregon (Photo credit: Tim Sugden)
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Kelli Anderson’s Alphabet in Motion: How Letters Get Their Shape pop-up book launched this week on Kickstarter. Click through to watch the aMaZiNg prototype in action, and then join me in backing her project!
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Paper TidbitsThe Center for Craft in Asheville, NC is reactivating the Craft Futures Fund grant program for emergency relief so that they can direct essential resources to support and care for the artists and community of Western North Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Helene. You can apply for funding or donate to help support the fund here.We’ll be making woven paper lanterns and books in a one-day online session through Maine Media Workshops in December – perfect for holiday gift giving. Join me!—–—————————————————————————————–––––––
About Our Sponsor: The Kalamazoo Book Arts Center (KBAC) is a nonprofit organization in Kalamazoo, MI, that practices, teaches, and promotes the collaborative arts of the book including hand papermaking, printmaking, letterpress printing, bookbinding, and creative writing.
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October 19, 2024
Papermaking at Altitude
The Sunday Paper #528
October 20, 2024
I got to spend the past few days with my papermaking peeps at the New Alititudes conference hosted by the North American Hand Papermakers in Denver. I was honored to give one of the keynotes, about my career in paper. My husband brought my mother down to hear me speak – it was so special to have them in the room. I didn’t get any photos, but I hope to have a recording of the keynote to share with you in the near future.
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The Guild of Bookworkers hosts a traveling exhibition every two years, and North Bennet Street School is hosting the first stop for “Night Circus”, an exhibition of fine design bindings that invoke curiosity of the spectacle, fascination of artistry and performance, exploration of the mysterious and luminous, investigation of clandestine action and secret knowledge, and an embrace chaos and otherness.
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This story, about a 2nd generation business owner in Singapore, is inspiring! Print N Matters is upcycling waste paper while building community around sustainability and craftsmanship.
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I was so pleased when the photographer I worked with last week at Storey Publishing, told me he learned about Isamu Noguchi’s Akari Lights from my last book (which he photographed) and he now owns two Akari lamps. Here’s an interesting article about Akari lamps, and how they are still relevant today. I enjoyed this quote by Dakin Hart, senior curator at The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum (well worth a visit if you’re in NYC): “Noguchi didn’t believe in reproductive sculpture, and through the handcraft by which they are still produced, every example of every lantern is truly unique. Like pinecones on a tree, sunflowers in a field, or stars or clouds in the sky, every Akari lantern is a perfect, inexact example of its type.”
As seen on DeZeen. The Akari lights come in many different shapes. Photo courtesy of The Kagawa Museum
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I’m eager to see the final video from the Paper on Skin Wearable Art Competition, which I was so fortunate to attend last month (they say patience is a virtue, right)? In the meantime, you can view the winning designs here, and you will find many posts about all of the entries and related events on the Paper on Skin instagram page.
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Paper TidbitsThe Puget Sound Book Artists 13th Annual Members’ Exhibition, featuring works produced for the theme of Time Travel, is on exhibit at The Evergreen State College Library until Friday, Dec. 13, 2024.I’m teaching a free workshop through the Guild of American Papercutters next Saturday, October 26th.We’ll be making woven paper lanterns and books in a one-day online session through Maine Media Workshops in December – perfect for holiday gift giving. Join me!—–—————————————————————————————–––––––
If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper?
Tell 4000 paper enthusiasts about your work by promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.
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I occasionally have affiliate links in my blog posts – links to products in which I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!
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October 12, 2024
A Trip Back East
The Sunday Paper #527
October 6, 2024
I was in the Berkshires this past week – in North Adams, MA – where I attended the photoshoot for my next book about paper weaving. This is my 5th book with Storey Publishing, but the first time I’ve participated in a photoshoot. I’m happy to report that – although nerve wracking at times – it went well and I think we captured all of the images we need. Here’s the studio with Mars Vilaubi, the photographer checking the set up on his computer, and Kristen Hewitt, the project editor, making sure we’re capturing what the manuscript describes. I’ll share more soon, but I’m trying to get this written (on Saturday morning) before Mass MoCA opens, so I can get over there for an hour before I head to the airport.
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Find out more about the trip by attending a free info-webinar on October 18th.
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Bark paper and barkcloth are age-old traditions deeply rooted in cultures across the globe, yet they are frequently overlooked by modern society. These ancient practices involve beating the cooked or fermented inner bark of certain trees, most commonly Mulberry and Ficus, with a hand-held beater made from stone, wood, or metal. Bark Rhythms, curated by Jill Powers and Lisa Miles, shines a light on contemporary makers who maintain a deep respect for these materials, tools, and cultural origins. This exhibition delves into bark traditions from Indonesia, Hawai‘i, the Polynesian Islands, Mexico, and Central Africa.
The exhibition debuted at the Robert C Williams American Museum of Papermaking in Atlanta, and is now on view at Niza Knoll Gallery in Denver (through October 26th). If you can’t make it to the show, you might enjoy the recorded video panel discussions with some of the artists.
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Wowza! 100,000 paper lanterns adorn Lamphun’s Wat Phra That Hariphunchai district in Thailand, in honor of Buddha’s relics. According to local beliefs, hanging a lit lantern at the temple will help improve one’s luck and prosperity, while others believe that writing one’s wish on the lantern and lighting it on temple ground will make it come true.
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Yulia Brodskaya’s quilled paper techniques and works never ceases to amaze. “In my paper art practice, a drawn two-dimensional line is represented by a three-dimensional strip of paper glued on its edge,” Brodskaya says. For her mini-series of birds, the dimensionality of each line symbolizes ethereality and energy made visible.
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Paper TidbitsI’m teaching a free workshop through the Guild of American Papercutters on October 26th.We’ll be making woven paper lanterns and books in a one-day online session through Maine Media Workshops in December – perfect for holiday gift giving. Join me!We worked with kraft tex last month in The Paper Year. Watch the video, featuring a variety of pieces created by Paper Year members.I can’t wait to see my papermaking tribe at the North American Hand Papermaker’s conference this coming week. Thankfully, it is close to home, in Denver.—–—————————————————————————————–––––––
If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper?
Tell 4000 paper enthusiasts about your work by promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.
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I occasionally have affiliate links in my blog posts – links to products in which I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!
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