Papermaking Studio

with Andrea Peterson
PAPER 604 001 | 3 credits | $175 lab fee
June 1–14, 2025

In this class, we will use paper pulp, an incredibly malleable material, to create works of art. Pulp can be transformed dimensionally, made into drawings and unusual surface textures and used to lock elements into a state of timelessness. It can evoke skin, metal, rock, or something totally different. We will use a wide range of fibers from all over the world to present perspectives unique to location. Chosen for their flexibility in the artmaking process, these fibers include cotton, abaca, flax, kozo (paper mulberry) for Eastern techniques, wheat straw, and sisal, an agricultural by-product sourced from a regenerative farm. All fibers used in the course are grown organically and in raw states. We will process the material using a sustainable cooking method in a cauldron over a wood fire. Utilizing Eastern and Western traditional techniques, we will push the boundaries of the medium. Students will hear stories about Ts’ai Lun, the inventor of paper; designer and historian Dard Hunter; and painter David Hockney, and their global influence on paper, fiber, and pulp. This course will emphasize a sustainable approach in the studio and how it can be addressed in one’s own practice. It is designed as an open dialogue generated by students’ ideas, resulting in a body of work inspired by the medium and the natural beauty of Ox-Bow.

Andrea Peterson (she/her) is an artist and educator based in Laporte, Indiana. She received her MFA from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, in 1994 and BFA from the Art Institute of Chicago. She currently teaches paper arts and papermaking at The School of the Art Institute in the Fiber and Material Studies Program and from her studio Hook Pottery Paper. She co-operates Hook Pottery Paper with her husband, ceramic artist Jon Hook. She creates paper art works and relief printed images on handmade paper that utilize pulp-drawing techniques. She combines these efforts to make works that address human relationship to the environment. Her work has been collected by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and can be found in many private and corporate collections such as Hollister clothing, Chicago as well as exhibitions in Beer Shiva, Israel; Deggendorf Museum, Germany; Steyermuhl Paper Museum, Austria; Scoula di Grafica, Venice, Italy; and Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Indiana. She has conducted workshops and lectures at Paper Museum in Steyermuhl, Austria; University Georgia Athens; Cortona, Italy; Scoula di Grafica, Venice, Italy; and University of Syracuse, New York.

Andrea Peterson, water flow, 2024, pigmented cotton rag, 48 x 60 in.