SPIRIT AND POTENTIAL OF PAPER: How artists activate imagery in hand papermaking

SPIRIT AND POTENTIAL OF PAPER: How artists activate imagery in hand papermaking

Panel Wednesday, September 16 from 6-8pm pm

Pyramid Atlantic, 4318 Gallatin Street, Hyattsville, MD

Panelists: Oletha DeVane, Chris Mona, Maria Barbosa, David Joo, Elzbieta Sikorska, June Linowitz

Moderators: Helen Frederick and Lynn Sures

Artists who work with hand papermaking activate their imagery through a dynamic interplay between material research, process-driven experimentation, and intentional selection. Paper becomes both medium and meaning: reliable in its structural qualities yet often unpredictable in its tactile and chemical behavior. Through sequential narratives, installations, casting, drawing, printing and multi-media, artists featured in the RUMINATIONS exhibition realize paper’s potential by treating it not as a passive surface but as an active collaborator.

These artists often begin with material research, studying fiber behavior, water flow, shrinkage, translucency, and pigment absorption. These investigations shape how imagery emerges. Paper’s fibers carry their own history – cotton, flax, abaca – each with distinct tensile strength, color, translucency, and texture. These qualities activate imagery in various ways to create personal “ruminations”. The panelists will describe their practice and process.