At the Evanston Public Library on Sunday, Evanston residents transformed an assortment of scrap materials into a vibrant array of artworks through the simple craft of papermaking.
Jamie Thome, who founded the Hive Center for the Book Arts, demonstrated how to transform scrap materials like recycled paper and cotton into new sheets of paper.
The simple process involves taking pulp, or scrap materials added to water, and combining the pieces through a mesh-like device, called the mould and deckle. Hydrogen bonding holds the scrap pieces together, Thome explained. The resulting sheet is then pressed and dried to reveal the final piece of paper.
The event was the seventh of 10 papermaking workshops Thome is hosting as a partnership between the Hive Center for the Book Arts and EPL. The collaboration is made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts as part of its Big Read program.
Some of the paper created through the different workshop sessions will be combined to create a tapestry.
“Part of showing community is taking some of the things that people make and putting them all together to make that piece,” Thome said. “There’s also an incredible joy of when you come into a space and you see that you have contributed something to artwork.”
Evanston resident Dalia Jardines attended this event with her friends. She noted her interest in arts and crafts and said she saw the workshop as an opportunity to learn something new while engaging with the Evanston community.
“As a new person here in Evanston … I wanted to have activities to do,” Jardines said. “I didn’t want to stay in my apartment the whole time.”
She hopes to continue papermaking as a hobby and use the paper to create her own notebooks.
Another workshop attendee, Evanston resident Dale Griffin, said he came to the event with his wife. They enjoy attending various events at the Evanston Public Library, such as poetry and gardening.
Griffin said his favorite part of the workshop was the creative process of adding elements like colorful ribbons and thread to make the paper.
“I like the (part of the workshop) where, as the instructor said, ‘you put some joy into it,’” Griffin said. “Put some shiny objects or something into the more subtle paper.”
He said he hopes to continue paper making as a hobby and use recycled materials and scraps from home to create “something exciting.”
Griffin added that he was surprised by the simplicity of the process and enjoyed learning about it in a relaxing atmosphere surrounded by other community members.
“It’s just such a great thing for the city to do to let people come together and work on something, and it’s a great feeling,” Griffin said.
Nineth Kanieski Koso contributed reporting.
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