Last month I went to the Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking in Atlanta for the opening exhibition of Paper Narratives. For those of you who haven’t been, it’s easy to find on the Georgia Tech campus. There’s plenty of parking, there’s a lovely museum, and you can check out the classroom space and the upcoming book arts classes they have scheduled. You should definitely go. As soon as your little feet can take you there, because the exhibit comes down November 20th. (Above: a grouping of my prints in situ. Read more about them here.)
Paper Narratives was curated by Suzanne Sawyer and features works from myself and four other artists: Kerri Cushman, Doug Baulos, Lee Emma Running, and Denise Bookwalter. As promised, here’s a quick tour of some of the pieces, made specifically for this space and this exhibition. I can’t give it all away, because you have to go see it in person—but here are a few glimpses into the gallery.
Above: this interactive piece by Kerri is comprised of cubes made from handmade paper that can be rearranged inside the grid to create words. Viewers can take photos and upload them to a website she created to document the interactions. 
Above: a detail from Denise’s installation, which was hundreds of tiny circles of handmade paper. We loved the shadows these pieces created, and everyone was delighted when they learned the slightest breeze of heavy breath caused the pieces to ripple along the wall.
Above: This piece by Doug included found objects, altered books, and paper sculpture. I caught lots of people standing a few inches away, staring intently at all of the mysterious objects.
Above: Lee’s installation was made of dyed fabric and abaca, and was created on site at the museum with Georgia Tech students in the weeks before the opening exhibition.
One of the interesting things about this collection of work is how well it fits together. These are just a few photos of works that were included in the space, but each artist had multiple pieces that were comprised primarily of handmade paper. We all remarked about the color palette in particular, and how all five of us had chosen similar colors to work with, despite having no discussions about our projects prior to meeting at the time of installation. The result was a variety of work that was quite different in execution and theme, but felt connected through color, texture, and media.
A special thanks goes to Suzanne for inviting us to participate, and to the folks at the Museum of Papermaking for housing our work in such a lovely space and treating us to such a warm and friendly gathering. To see more of what the museum is about, and to see a schedule of their upcoming classes and events, check out their website.
