Sinclair Community College will offer a papermaking class this summer for students interested in learning the ancient tradition.
“The last time we offered this class, it was really popular,” said Leesa Haapapuro, Sinclair Art department adjunct faculty member who will be teaching the course.
Students will study western and Japanese sculptural papermaking techniques and learn how to incorporate them into their own artwork. Color and dying processes will also be explored, according to the instructor.
“On the first day, I’ll show them how to create a western-style sheet of paper using recycled materials,” Haapapuro said of the class. “Then we’ll go into some techniques of molding and dyeing.”
Although the college will supply the equipment and basic necessities to make paper, Haapapuro said that students will be required to gather recycled materials in order to complete their individual projects. The materials used in papermaking can include leaves, corn stalks, hair, tree bark and flowers, according to Haapapuro.
“We’ll use all sorts of things that anyone can find in their garden,” she said.
Although many techniques will be covered throughout the five-week course, Haapapuro said that beginners should not be intimidated. She stated that the class will include plenty of demonstration and experimentation.
“Anybody who has never made paper can make paper once somebody shows you,” Haapapuro said, who has been making paper sculptures since 1990. “Also, the class is great for people who have been doing it for a while and want to learn new skills and techniques.”
The class was last offered in the summer of 2004 and the students displayed their sculptures at an art show held at the Hypotenuse Gallery in Building 13. Haapaparo hopes that this summer’s course can lead to the creation of a papermaking club at Sinclair.
“People have been making paper for a really long time,” Haapapuro said. “It’s got a wonderful history.”
The course, listed as ART 297, will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.during the summer’s “A” term.