Introduction to Papermaking Intensive is a combination of our beginner level Deckle Box Papermaking and our one day Introduction to Papermaking Short Class. Students will learn sheet forming with fibres such as cotton and abaca. We will explore the differences of pulling with a laid mold and a woven mold. Techniques such as laminating, shaped sheets and inclusions will also be introduced, Nepalese style deckle box is covered as well – a high walled mold and deckle, placed in a container of water allowing the pulp to suspend while pulp is dropped and mixed in. This allows individual pulls of different coloured pulp, mixes of different fibres and/or found materials to be part of the final sheet.

Students will leave this course with 20-35 hand-pulled custom sheets of paper and enough knowledge to continue exploring paper at our intermediate level.

Saturday, October 5th and Sunday, October 6th 2024

2 day class, 5 hours each, 11am - 4pm

Instructor: Flora Shum

Saturday, December 7th and Sunday, December 8th, 2024

2 day class, 5 hours each, 11am - 4pm

Instructor: Emily Cook

Level: Beginner, no experience required.

Artist-Instructor Bios

Emily Cook is a visual artist, arts educator, and cultural administrator. She studied printmaking at OCAD and holds an MFA from Louisiana State University. She runs Paperhouse Studio with Flora Shum. Her art practice includes bookarts, papermaking, printmaking and installation. She is also the Digital Programs Manager at Creative Users Projects and an independent accessibility consultant. As a low vision arts worker, Emily is excited to be working within Disability Arts and Crip Culture. She believes art should be accessible to all. She works on arts and cultural initiatives that create meaningful opportunities for underrepresented artists. She currently lives in Toronto with a lovely roommate and lots of books.

Flora Shum is a Hong Kong born-Tkaronto/Toronto based artist, educator, and cultural worker. She co-runs Paperhouse Studio, where she carries forward the vision for paper as a medium, and leads arts-based programming for underserved communities. She is one half of duo collective—AURA, and Artistic Director at CARFAC Ontario, supporting advocacy for artists’ rights. Her artistic practice is experimental and collaborative by nature, with roots in papermaking, printmaking, and book arts, extending to found objects, sculpture, and installation. Her art utilizes these mediums to explore alternative histories and archives, alchemy, multiples, mass-production, cyborgs, and slow labour.

She has exhibited locally and internationally, including Toronto (ON), Whistler (BC), New York (NY), Hong Kong, Kinngait (NU), and London (UK). Flora has facilitation experience at OCAD University, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto Public Library, University of Toronto, Central Technical School (Toronto, ON.), Peter Pitseolak School (Kinngait, NU.) and Attagoyuk Ilisavik (Pangnirtung, NU.).

florashum.com