I’ve been pretty lucky as of late, I have to say. After completing my MFA in Book Arts at the University of Iowa Center for the Book last fall, I had the privilege of spending three months in Italy teaching book arts and papermaking for the UGA study abroad program in Cortona. It was an incredible opportunity to slow down and focus in a new way, to pass along my enthusiasm for all things book and paper to a new group of students, and to be freshly inspired by the culture, individuals, and art that surrounded me.
Read moreHistoric Recycled Papermaking -The Ink Removal Method
In late July, I had the pleasure of hosting Kazuko Hioki, a conservator at the University of Kentucky Libraries, for four days as we worked on a collaborative project to recreate Japanese block printed book cover papers from the Edo Period (1603-1868). These historic specimens have been the subject of Kazuko’s research for some time. Not a papermaker herself, she contacted Tim Barrett at the Center for the Book to ask if he could put her in touch with a papermaker who might be interested in recreating these historic specimens, and he in turn suggested she contact me.
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