Paper Circle Annual Report
October 1, 2008 through September 31, 2009.
Gallery:
Just when you think you can't have another show as great as the last..... The very first show of the new fiscal year featured the works of Elena Osterwalder, entitled "From Earth." Elena has traveled extensively to Mexico to learn the practice of dying paper with natural flowers and bugs in the pre-Hispanic tradition. Her show consisted of the papers displayed as a sort of strata, accompanied by many images from her travels. In November we hosted the work of Skip French our Changing Artist for the year. His show, "Tool of Unkown Use," featured the block prints he created from his hand-carved wooden blocks, inspired by Native American readings. Many of his prints were exhibited on papers he made in the studio. In January we were fortunate enough to be able to show the work of Wendy Minor Viny, "Motherhood, Mysticism and The Mundane" Wendy's collages and sculpture, created from found objects, are nothing short of stunning. Her show was attended by many guests and local fans. In March a blast of folded color came to the studio with the Ohio Origami consortium of paper folders! Organized by Monica Salsbury, this group stunned audiences with their amazing display of original designs, intricate patterns, and wet folding techniques. In May we had the work of Heather Watkins in the studio, titled "Ravel Unravel" - a fiber arts exhibit which explored the intricate weavings of life, and the stuff it is made of. In July we hosted our annual art opening featuring the works of students participating in Circle Round the school. The work created by children in the visual arts studios was on display at Stuart's Opera House, and the work used as sets, props, costumes created for the theater performance (July 17) were on display in Paper Circle gallery. Again, the impact of this amazing collective body resounded throughout the entire square.
Workshops/ Classes:
Elena Osterwalder conducted a workshop on how to dye paper in the pre-Hispanic tradition using bugs and flowers, which was very well-attended and extremely interesting. The studio smelled like rich earth for days! Skip French taught a class in block printing, in which participants made individual as well as collective prints. Susie Thompson and Sara Gilfert taught a workshop on making paper from plants. Susie also taught a holiday card class, in which she used recycled Christmas wrap as a medium. In May, Eileen Wallace was back in the studio teaching bookbinding to a full house.
Shop:
This summer our shop got a bit of a lift, with the purchase of streamlined shelving units and display made by Skip French, designed to hold our paste papers. We also had a house cleaning, and sold much of our old merchandise at clearance prices to make way for 2010.
Programs:
Circle Round the School:
In 2009, when the NYCS invited Paper Circle to conduct the program under their roof, Circle Round the School was born. As a full partner, the school provided bussing, space, meals and administrative assistance. For four weeks in June and July, 80 children were provided nearly a semester's worth of arts-learning taught by 13 professional artists. Participants rotated through four "individual expression studios" (ceramics, typography, painting and collage) and three "collaborative arts studios" (filmmaking, food arts and theater, which included script writing, dancing, acting, costumes, masks, sets and props and puppet-making). Professional development was provided to artists leading the individual expression studios; lessons plans and grading rubrics were designed, and gains aligned to Ohio Visual Arts Standards were measured. The day was divided by lunch and wellness activities. High school students (Circle "graduates") were hired to assist. The program culminated in two shows: July 17: The collaborative studios presented an evening of plays and films created by the students in their studios, followed by edible art refreshments made by students in the food art class. July 31: The works created in the individual studios were professionally displayed at Stuarts Opera House during the Final Friday in July. Record breaking crowds were in attendance for both events. Planning is underway for 2010, and will expand programming to 7 hours a day for six weeks. Classes will be include both academic and arts learning, with a wellness component and weekly field trips. Artists will pair up with academic teachers to help design integrated arts activities that will enhance their classroom learning. Artists will strive, when possible, to integrate academic objectives into studio activities
Changing Artist Series:
In 2008-2009 we had Nancy Couch in our studios, learning about paper and its possibilities. Nancy is both a painter and sculptor and her show took almost a year to produce. Stay tuned for next year's final report to see how his show and workshop turned out!
Other News:
Our founder and beloved Artistic Director, Sara Gilfert, celebrated her 80th birthday in the spring and had her party at the gallery. A hundred people attended, tents were set up in the back, food was provided by Salaam Restaurant, and a wonderful time was had by all.