Peace Paper Project

Group Exhibition, Griffis Artcenter, New York 2017

While making paper by hand dates back to China ca. 105 C.E., the practice has only been used as a form of artistic expression in its own right for the past century. Dard Hunter is considered a leading 20th-century authority on the craft of handmade paper after his publication of Old Papermaking (1923) and Papermaking by Hand in America (1950), in which he prepared every aspect of each book himself. Hand papermaking in the United States gained further popularity in the 1960s and ’70s through the establishment of small-scale paper mills such as Twinrocker and Dieu Donné and through papermaking studios within the higher academy. At the same time, the use of handmade paper as an art medium in itself, rather than a mere substrate, grew as artists experimented in two-and three-dimensional forms, often creating sculptural works and installations.

Inspired by Dard Hunter’s legacy and by the more recent socially engaged work of artists such as Eric Avery and John Risseeuw, Drew Matott co-founded two ongoing projects, Combat Paper in 2007 and Peace Paper in 2011. Combat Paper uses papermaking processes as a way for U.S. veterans to share their personal stories through pulping their military uniforms. Since its inception, thousands of veterans have participated in the project, and four permanent studios have been established across the country. Peace Paper is a collaboration among artists, activists, and therapists who use traditional hand papermaking as a form of art therapy, social advocacy, and creative expression. The project has worked with over twenty thousand individuals and has established forty collaborating studios from the United Kingdom to Poland, Turkey, Iran, and Ukraine.

St. Pauli Paper, the European base of Peace Paper, was formed in 2016 in Hamburg, Germany. Jana Schumacher, a fine artist and co-founder of the studio, focuses on using handmade paper in her own drawings and site-specific installations. She also leads workshops at low-income schools and refugee centers in the region. For the exhibition at St. Lawrence University, Drew and Jana invited eleven fine artists from Hamburg to work with handmade paper for the first time to explore its creative potential. The artists attended initial papermaking workshops at St. Pauli Paper and then returned to complete individual projects utilizing their new skills.Drew Matott and Jana Schumacher, artists-in-residence
September 4 - 8, 2017
Griffiths Arts Center Gallery reception, in conjuction with Poetry for Peace, including reading by Ben Aleshire
Monday, September 4, 2017, 4:30 p.m.

http://www.peacepaperproject.org/
https://www.griffisartcenter.com/

While making paper by hand dates back to China ca. 105 C.E., the practice has only been used as a form of artistic expression in its own right for the past century. Dard Hunter is considered a leading 20th-century authority on the craft of handmade paper after his publication of Old Papermaking (1923) and Papermaking by Hand in America (1950), in which he prepared every aspect of each book himself. Hand papermaking in the United States gained further popularity in the 1960s and ’70s through the establishment of small-scale paper mills such as Twinrocker and Dieu Donné and through papermaking studios within the higher academy. At the same time, the use of handmade paper as an art medium in itself, rather than a mere substrate, grew as artists experimented in two-and three-dimensional forms, often creating sculptural works and installations.

Drew Matott and Jana Schumacher, artists-in-residence
September 4 - 8, 2017
Griffiths Arts Center Gallery reception, in conjuction with Poetry for Peace, including reading by Ben Aleshire
Monday, September 4, 2017, 4:30 p.m.

http://www.peacepaperproject.org/
https://www.griffisartcenter.com/

While making paper by hand dates back to China ca. 105 C.E., the practice has only been used as a form of artistic expression in its own right for the past century. Dard Hunter is considered a leading 20th-century authority on the craft of handmade paper after his publication of Old Papermaking (1923) and Papermaking by Hand in America (1950), in which he prepared every aspect of each book himself. Hand papermaking in the United States gained further popularity in the 1960s and ’70s through the establishment of small-scale paper mills such as Twinrocker and Dieu Donné and through papermaking studios within the higher academy. At the same time, the use of handmade paper as an art medium in itself, rather than a mere substrate, grew as artists experimented in two-and three-dimensional forms, often creating sculptural works and installations.

Paul Gregor