The Sunday Paper #387

November 7, 2021

I had the pleasure of interviewing Jerushia Graham on Paper Talk. Jerushia is the Museum Coordinator for the Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking and a working artist. Graham is interested in creating spaces for socially-minded introspection and empathy through her artwork, workshops, and curatorial projects. The Atlanta-based printmaker, papermaker, book artist, and fiber artist who exhibits both nationally and internationally, and is a member of the Book/Print Artist/Scholar of Color Collective, the Movable Book Society, and the North American Hand Papermakers.

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Check out this show of works on paper at the Cantor Arts Center in Palo Alto, CA. I love what curator Elizabeth Mitchell says about collecting: “Start with prints because they are so much fun you won’t want to stop. So much is possible with print collecting that you can really make it your own. Print collectors can develop a broad view of artists, movements, or subject types and themes, or focus their collecting very narrowly. A thoughtful collection can be built with a modest budget over time, and the pursuit of rare objects can take days or years. The hunt is part of the fun!”

“Cassette Grid No. 10,” a 2009 cyanotype by Christian Marclay is featured in the Cantor’s “Paper Chase” exhibit. Photograph by Will Lytch/courtesy Graphicstudio, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, and Paula Cooper Gallery, New York.

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Have you heard about Artists Book House? It is going to be an amazing facility in Evanston, IL, and they are currently raising funds to renovate an old mansion. Here’s a great quote about the power of books from founder and well-known author Audrey Niffenegger: “Every book is a world. Books are vessels, ideas; they sit at the heart of civilization, where philosophies and visions converge. A book can be intimate and personal; it can change the fate of nations. Books speak to us and connect us across time and distance.” Read the full article here.

Niffenegger continues: “And if this speaks to you — and I must wonder, how can it not? — please consider a donation to Artists Book House and help make this vision a reality.”

Author and Artist Audrey Niffenegger in front of the Harley Clarke Mansion, the future home of Artists Book House in Evanston, Illinois. Photo by Julie Chernoff.

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Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe’s drawings condense nature into a graceful, powerful essence. Hakihiiwe is an Indigenous Venezuelan artist who lives in Alto Orinoco. The subject of his drawings on handmade paper is the Amazon jungle where he lives, and its intricate and endangered ecosystem.

Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe, “Wakari (Sweet fruit of the jungle)” (2019) (all photos by Roberto Ruiz, all images courtesy Ana Mas Projects, Barcelona)

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This is a fantastic profile of book artist Timothy C. Ely, who speaks eloquently about the book, which, among other things, he describes as a machine. His profile begins at 14:33.

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Paper Tidbits:

• The Paper Year opens for registration again in mid-December. Details about our kick-off event on December 15th are coming soon. You can click here to read more about The Paper Year and Hold Your Spot.
• World Origami Days is still going strong. I’ve attended five sessions and enjoyed the projects immensely! I have a few more on my calendar. There’s one every evening (stateside) through November 11th, which is officially World Origami Day.
• We’re exploring language as our theme over in The Paper Studio (my free FB group) this month. Here are some samples of LAYERS, which was the October theme.

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In the Studio:

I’ve enjoyed putting together a Curated Paper Collection for each quarter of 2021. The Q4 Collection is now available! Here you see one of my favorites: The Secret Language of Flight (8 1/2″ x 11″). This paper was created specifically for this collection by Julie Johnson in Portland, Oregon from paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera) bast fiber and wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) secondary flight feathers. The feathers swirled in the pulp and seemed to form letters, and that’s how this paper got its name. It is gorgeous! Click through to view the 10 other amazing papers in the collection. They come from all over the world, and many are handmade. I’ll be featuring a paper-a-day over on Instagram this week (I’m @helenhiebert).

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Featured this week in my Studio shop: The Papermaking with Plants, A collection of Word Broadsides, Playing With Paper, The Ppaermaker’s Studio Guide, a film download.

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