SPEAKERS

Eric Benson is the Chair of graphic design at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is the co-founder of the sustainable design non-profit Re-nourish (www.re-nourish.org) also runs Fresh Press Agri-Fiber Paper Lab, where he explores sustainable papermaking using waste fibers from local farms. Eric’s creative work has garnered numerous design awards and hung in notable venues like The Walker Art Center, the Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, the Hammer Museum, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, and RISD.

David Charles Chioffi is a Graphic Designer and Associate Professor of Visual Design, Department of Art; J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas. His presentation will address how design arts, typography and craft have a significant role within the field of papermaking and book arts inspiring new avenues within the field and fueling artists such as Russell Maret, a book artist and type designer who received a Rome prize to study typography and the search for the perfect impression upon the perfect fiber working with papermaker Mina Takahashi to discover this.

Kerri Cushman is a sculptural book artist and avid papermaker. Known for her artist books, Cushman exhibits her work internationally. She is a Professor at Longwood University in Virginia teaching papermaking, letterpress printing, and artists’ books. She has conducted workshops across the country and is an active member of Hand Papermaking. Her work has been published in several books and her narratives push the boundaries of what defines a book. www.kerricushman.com

Christopher Davenport teaches interdisciplinary book, paper, and photography courses at the University of Alabama and various art centers. He is the owner of pocket knife press.

Gail Deery is Professor and Director of Dolphin Press at the Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD. Her presentation will address collaborations and the numerous artists who have produced editions at their studio well as studios such as Dieu Donne Papermill and the history and development of editions since working at Dieu Donne in its earliest years. Projects to be discussed include : handmade paper kite which was featured on the cover of Hand Papermaking magazine created by renowned artist Lesley Dill, Henrik Drescher, and Trenton Doyle Hancoc.

Tasha Dobbin-Bennett is an Assistant Professor of Art History and Studio Art at Oxford College of Emory, where she regularly teaches an introduction to papermaking studio course.

Michael Fallon is thrilled to be the executive director of Hand Papermaking. After graduating from the Book Arts program at the University of Alabama in 1997, Michael moved to Minnesota to work as artist-in-residence at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. In the summer of 1998, he wrote his first article on art for Hand Papermaking, then worked for years as an editor and writer for numerous arts publications. In 2006, he earned an arts management degree from Carnegie Mellon, and today brings solid publishing and nonprofit leadership skills back to an organization that helped establish his career. 

Jay Fox is the Print, Letterpress, Books, and Papermaking Studio Coordinator at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina. His paper-centric practice is guided by storytelling and objects of importance which take the form of ephemera and memorials. Jay received his BFA in Printmaking from Savannah College of Art and Design, and Studio Art MFA with a focus in Print and Narrative Forms from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Jerushia Graham is an Atlanta-based artist who exhibits both nationally and internationally. She earned an MFA in Book Arts/Printmaking from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and BFA degrees in Fabric Design and Printmaking from the University of Georgia. Graham is currently the Museum Coordinator at the Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking and was formerly the Education Director for Atlanta Printmakers Studio. She also teaches for Kennesaw State University, The Hudgens Center for Art and Learning, and the Robert C. Williams Paper Museum. She has developed arts programming for many institutions and community organizations.

Kyle Holland is the workshop & paper sales coordinator at the Morgan Conservatory of papermaking in Cleveland, Ohio. His presentation will address how his own work is a collaborative in nature and how this impacts his work at the Morgan.

Peter Hopkins is the Director of the New Crane Museum and Center for the Paper Arts. He also serves as historian and archivist for the 247 year old company where he has hosted the annual meeting of the Friends of Dard Hunter as well as a regional meeting.

Nicholas Knouf is an Assistant Professor of Cinema and Media Studies at Wellesley College in Wellesley, MA. He is a media scholar and artist researching noise, interferences, boundaries, and limits in media technologies and communication. His current artistic research explores the intersection of craft and electronics, particularly as it pertains to the material of paper, intestines, radio, and the book.

Steven Kostell is an intermedia artist/designer who serves on faculty at the University of Vermont, Department of Community Development and Applied Economics. In addition to visual practice, his research involves community-based design, creative economies and cultural entrepreneurship. Kostell is co-founder of Fresh Press Agri-fiber Paper Lab at the University of Illinois and serves on the Board of Directors for Hand Papermaking, Inc.

Tracy Norman received her Bachelors of Fine Arts Degree in the Spring of 2014 at the University of Louisville, in Louisville, Kentucky under textiles artist Lida Gordon. She pursued her degree in three-dimensional studios with a focus in handmade paper and fiber arts. Upon graduation, she traveled alone, in search for more knowledge. From basket weaving at Penland, NC to making posts at Cave Paper in Minneapolis, MN. Currently in Colorado, Norman has been working with artist Helen Hiebert at Helen Hiebert Studio and with Sue Oehme at Oehme Graphics.

Andrea Peterson is an artist and educator. She lives and creates work in northwest Indiana at her studio Hook Pottery Paper, a studio and gallery co-owned with her husband, Jon Hook. She teaches at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She combines paper arts, printmaking, and book arts to make work that addresses the human relationship to the environment. She is a recipient of the Indiana Arts Grant.

Patsy Rausch is an elementary art teacher at Kincaid Elementary in metro Atlanta. She received her B.A. from Alfred University in Primary/Secondary Education with a minor in Fine Arts. Her educational certifications include Special Education, General Education, and Art Education, placing her in the unique position to pioneer and promote an innovative district-wide Inclusive STEAM Integrated Portable Papermaking Studio.

Robert Riter is an Assistant Professor in the School of Library and Information Studies at The University of Alabama, where he teaches courses in archives and rare books.

Michelle Samour has been teaching papermaking and working with handmade paper and pulp in her own practice for 35 years. She is Professor of the Practice at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) at Tufts University, where she teaches innovative approaches to working with handmade paper. She has received Artist Fellowships from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a Society of Arts and Crafts New England Artist Award and grants from the Cushman Family Fund and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to study historic papermaking in France and Japan. She exhibits her work nationally and internationally.

Ashley L. Schick makes works on paper and artist books about the converging of natural and built environments. She has an MFA in printmaking and is a Visual Arts faculty member at the Lovett School's Upper School. She has taught workshops for students of all ages at the High Museum of Art, Georgia Tech, the Goat Farm Arts Center, and SCAD-Atlanta. Her work, represented by Kai Lin Art and Vamp & Tramp Booksellers, has been exhibited nationally and internationally and is held in multiple private and university collections including Vanderbilt, Baylor, SCAD, and the University of Florida.

Peter Sowiski is an Emeritus Professor of Fine Arts at Buffalo State College, where he taught from 1974- 2007, did stints as Chair of Fine Arts, of Design, and received the President’s Award for Excellence in Service to the College. He investigated papermaking in Korea, China and Vietnam, and is past and current President of The Friends of Dard Hunter. He has worked at Abaca Press as chief screen printer since its inception in 1994.

Cynthia Thompson is the Associate Professor and Director of the MFA book arts + printmaking program at The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA. Her presentation address the University atelier model where contemporary artists in residence work with students to produce editions collaborating within the mediums of papermaking, printmaking and book arts - supporting the precedence of the historical made contemporary and the importance of craft within the art school educational arena and the contemporary art world.

Robert Thompson’s interest in papermaking began nearly twenty-five years ago as a search for unique stationery for personal use. He is excited by the textures and colors of nature and strives to use these as a foundation for any work he does. Since moving to Fairburn, Georgia nearly 10 years ago, he has been working with area farmers, incorporating their materials in his paper as often as he can. He maintains a studio at his home in Fairburn. www.lot10paper.com

Alison Valk is the Multimedia Instruction Librarian for the Georgia Tech Library. She has worked in a variety of capacities at Georgia Tech since 1998 and coordinates the library’s instructional activities. Valk received her Master’s in Library & Information Science from Florida State University and a BBA from Georgia State University in Computer Information Systems. She also has a background in fine arts from the University of Georgia with a focus on Drawing & Painting. She was recently published by the Association of College & Research Libraries on her research related to the benefits of librarians in course project development.

ACTIVITIES & DEMONSTRATIONS

Curating Watercolor Surfaces - Tracy Norman

Chapri Weaving and Toolmaking - Sarah Luko

Book and Paper Conservation Techniques - Ann Frellson

Suminagashi and Traditional Paper Marbling - Megan Singleton

Late Night PechaKucha Power Session - Jay Fox and Kerri Cushman

Yoga for Papermakers - Nicole Donnelly

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