A finished Dieu Donné handmade paper work

Have you ever wondered about the art of handmade paper? Join us Friday, March 2, at 12:00 or 2:30 p.m. for a workshop, led by Dieu Donné Papermill’s artistic director Paul Wong and studio director Amy Jacobs, to try your hand at the craft of papermaking.

Like other forms of printmaking, papermaking—the focus of Dieu Donné’s studio mission—often requires collaboration. The workshop presented at Print Studio draws from a project that artist James Siena completed during his residency at the paper mill. As can be seen in selected works featured in MoMA’s Print/Out exhibition, Siena’s practice is typically abstract; he often incorporates repeating motifs in visually stimulating ways. In a talk at the Museum, Siena explains, “At a certain point I wanted to make drawings and works that act as machines. The way they act as machines is you have to find your way into them and find your way out of them. As you undo the making of them they come to life.” This idea, and further explorations of pattern making, offer a starting point for Friday’s workshop.

Following an introduction to papermaking and Dieu Donné’s history with the medium, Wong and Jacobs will lead participants in the creation of works of art through the wet process. Through direction and collaboration with the workshop leaders, participants will be encouraged to experiment with pulp painting, stenciling, and simple design techniques to make their own unique creations out of paper.

Be prepared to get your hands wet while exploring this quotidian yet intricate medium. At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to take home their own handmade paper!

You’ve already seen an image of one of Siena’s finished Dieu Donné handmade paper collaborations above. Below, you can see a small sampling of images from the papermaking process.