Experimental Paper Sculpture

Friday, March 1, 2024; 11am-5pm

$150 + $30 Materials Fee

For any student interested in using handmade paper to create sculptural forms with armatures, this is a class for you! Students will learn building methods for armatures and ways to wrap and dip their armatures in handmade paper prepared in a way that is called "high shrinkage". In this method, paper pulp has been beaten for a long period of time to absorb a large amount of water, and dramatic transformations can occur when the form dries.

Papermaking is a wet process, please wear clothing and shoes that can get wet. Papermaking also involves some lifting and arm movements.

About the Instructor: Michelle Wilson is an artist living in Oakland CA, whose work explores hand papermaking traditions from all over the world. Her practice includes frequent collaborations with other artists; in particular the Rhinoceros Project (with Anne Beck). She has been making paper since 2002. Wilson has an MFA in Book Arts and Printmaking from the University of the Arts, and a BFA from Moore College of Art and Design. She lectures and teaches widely, including places such as Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Magnolia Editions, the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art Print Center, the Kala Art Institute, and currently teaches papermaking, printmaking, and book arts at Stanford University.