Week 3 • Grades 4-8 • July 2 – 6 **No Class Wed July 4** • 9am-3pm
Art FUNdamentals: Rags to Flags Papermaking • $300
Instructor: Drew Cameron
In this four-day workshop surrounding the Nation’s birthday, learn how to shred, pulp, and create handmade paper from old clothing. We will use our group’s “rags” as the source fiber to make creative paper sheets and “flags.” Learn how to embed your own drawn imagery into the pulp of our communal paper to carry personal meaning and symbolism.
Western hand papermaking is a process in which plant based fibers used in textiles are repurposed for hand paper. The textile is cut apart into small pieces and beaten into a pulp with a machine called a Hollander Beater. Approximately one pound of dry fiber can be beaten in one hour, producing thirty sheets of paper. One of the Hollander Beaters used in this process is a portable model that was specifically engineered for our work traveling and working with veterans. It is lightweight and also has the capacity to be operated by bicycle.
Pulp Printing is a technique where highly beaten cotton rag is pigmented and sprayed with a hand held spritzer through a mesh stencil to render printed images onto wet sheets of paper after they are freshly formed. The cotton rag has been beaten for a duration that shortens it to the point where it can pass through a 110-mesh count silk screen, imbedding an image and further activating the paper.
*Students are encouraged to bring an article of clothing with personal significance. In many of our classes and workshops, these items are uniforms. Other examples include a childhood outfit, clothing of a loved one or commemorative organizational shirt. The clothing should be primarily a plant-based textile such as cotton, linen or hemp.
Registration
Please complete and submit the registration form. Should you have any questions, please contact Jamila Dunn, Youth Art Programs Manager, jamila@kala.org or call 510.841.7000 x203. Thank you.
Drew Cameron, Director of Combat Paper Project, began working with students during his time as a Crew Leader for the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps in 2006, leading youth in outdoor education and experiential learning. He has been the teaching assistant for an undergraduate study abroad course through rural Ecuador every winter since 2007. In his work with Combat Paper workshops and interactive demonstrations, children and youth participate in the process of transforming personal clothing and military uniforms into handmade paper, prints, books and artwork. His work is catalogued in special collections around the country and has been exhibited internationally. Current workshops and exhibitions are ongoing both in the U.S. and abroad. Thus far he has taught over thirty-five workshops in nineteen states, most recently at UC Berkeley Department of Art Practices. www.combatpaper.org