Saturday, October 31, 2015

pulp joyous

when kids are motivated to do new things
to play with new media
and to take foreign ideas
and remake them into something for their own world
well....
that's what happened in our school last week.
drew matott 
whose name is synonymous with peace paper 
(and several other paper projects)
 volunteered to come and make paper
 with us for a day.
he worked flat out.
all
day
long.
 in ashley putney's art room.
 we made lots of paper
 from (mostly) cotton rag pulp
 our fingers all shared this amazing experience
creating
 haptic understanding
 for kids of many ages.
 smurf blue was a favorite pulp
made from a sweat shirt
(we also had united states currency pulp).
 but it wasn't the color so much as 
how these young people
 were introduced to the concepts of papermaking
 as a personal art form
transforming one's clothing
into art.
 ashley and drew
 and i, well, we all 
had the BEST time.
 drew promised the kids he'll be back.
and the kids
well they are holding him to that promise!
thank you drew and ashley
for the opportunity to make paper in school.

26 comments:

  1. ahhhhh....that must've been soooo good for ALL.

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  2. therese, it was mad and wild and wonderful, and the kids were really inspired!
    roxanne, yes, but it's good to have other things happening, yes?
    sue, thank you!

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  3. What a wonderful week you've had.

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  4. alice, you are soooo right. if i was snarky i would say it's about time, but i'm not feeling that. instead, i'm feeling truly grateful.

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  5. It is very heartening to read this!

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  6. I used to be an art teacher and can only imagine how wonderful it would be to have you students make paper. What fun!

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  7. wonderful that you gave these kids the opportunity to learn something new. Looks like everyone had a great time.

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  8. neki, always, with pulp and drew and all those kids!
    suzi, thank you!
    jude, grin!
    sharmon, oh, yes!
    jean, yes, good teaching/good learning

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  9. What a gift! I tell you, I really believe that finding a voice through artistic expression is a part of the answer for many of these kids, aside from the wonder of getting their hands involved.

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  10. cindy, of course it is! it was for me, anyway.

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  11. me, too. growing up, theater & writing kept gave me reasons to keep going.

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  12. beautiful beautiful beautiful! peace paper rules.

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  13. fiona, i can envision some papermaking in oz...

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  14. I just want to draw a hundred little hearts all over this - so amazing and those kids, so focused and absorbed in the experience!

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  15. lee, and they all want drew to return soon!

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  16. Drew is a very generous person to have given his time and energy so freely. I think that his spirit (and that of all those who were leading the students, including you dear Velma) , his spirit of open hearted sharing is what was communicated most and that, as well as learning about pulp and screens, is what will be remembered by those lucky kids.

    I loved reading about this day you had. Thank you for posting about it.
    xo

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  17. judy, it was a huge event in so many ways, i feel freer, somehow, after this! and drew is a deeply kind person.

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  18. Hi V - we all love the magic of screen prints - and I think the young like it even more . Such a joyous creative play. Go well. B

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  19. barry, yes. magic on the paper screen. you know, i've got it so ingrained that it's a mould. only. (old school, i guess!)

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