Origami Ornaments with Purpose

The Sunday Paper #489

December 10, 2023

I’ve written about Paper for Water before, a wonderful organization started by two young girls who wanted to make a difference when they learned that a child was dying every 15 seconds from unclean water and that millions of girls like them were spending their day hauling water rather than attending school. They have been selling origami ornaments for more than ten years and have funded many water projects worldwide, one sheet of paper at a time. Paper for Water has an inventory of beautiful origami ornament gifts that they send to their donors (I was fortunate to receive these two). Consider donating – by purchasing an ornament – and bring clean water to a community in need around the world.

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Book Arts in Venice will take place June 4 – 15, 2024. Travel to Northern Italy to work in 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. Visit historic sites and tour the 60^th Venice Art Biennale, one of the largest international contemporary art exhibitions. Explore the beauty, art, and culture of the region in a small group with a seasoned, Italian-speaking travel guide, Kalamazoo Book Arts Center Executive Director, Jeff Abshear. This is what past participants are saying: “The whole experience of “daily living” in Venice was absolutely great.” “I loved learning about the city’s history as viewed through its art.” 100% of previous Book Arts in Venice participants said they would recommend this trip. Perhaps this is your year to travel to Italy!

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I had the pleasure of interviewing Kit Davey on Paper Talk, a Redwood City, California-based artist specializing in book art. Davey’s work pushes the boundaries of “bookness” by using unusual materials such as mica, acetate, flattened coins and teabags as pages, and making book covers from shells, coins, driftwood, rulers, buttons and acetate. She has taught over 70 different book structures, holding her classes on Zoom so that students the world over can join her. Her work is available on her website and at San Francisco Bay Area art events. She makes a book a day and shares them on Instagram.

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Check out this incredible photo essay about Xuan paper, a type of handmade paper that was originally produced in ancient China and used for both Chinese calligraphy and paintings. The procedure of making Xuan paper was listed as a world intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2009.

Wu Fan dries paper at a workshop of Xuan paper in Jingxian County, east China’s Anhui Province, Dec. 6, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu)

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If you haven’t signed up yet, please do – create a Tea Light Topper to illuminate the shortest day of the year and celebrate the return of the light. 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.

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Paper Tidbits

Haystack is hiring a Programs & Studio Director and a Communications Coordinator.
As some of you know, Chandler O’leary, a shining star in the book arts field, passed away in April. Some of her fans have reopened her online shop.
MadeTV is hosting a series of free holiday craft workshops, and I’m teaching how to make a woven paper lantern on 12/21. Join me!

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In the Shop:

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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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Tell 3500 paper enthusiasts about your work by promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.

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