Workshop: Introduction to Shadow Puppets with Myra Su
Sunday, December 12
Take your papercutting to a new dimension!
Myra Su at play
An ancient form dating back thousands of years, Shadow Puppets tap into the magical and the primal. These cut-out-based flat puppets that rely on light, shadow and movement to “come to life” can be found in many cultures in Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. Puppetry is not just for the young, either: Serious adult stories, epics, mythical tales, science fiction, fantasy and everyday sagas are equally at home in this simple yet subtle performance technique. Join us December 12th from 1-3pm (EST; 12noon Central, 10am Pacific, 6pm UK) for a Shadow Puppet workshop with Myra Su, storyteller, puppeteer, and puppet maker. Myra Su will be walking us through engineering expressive paper puppets using everyday recycled materials. She will be sharing techniques from her many years as a touring puppeteer with Manual Cinema, as well as from her most recent puppet film, GOODNIGHT SHADOW, that features articulated paper doll-like puppets. Together, we’ll explore both shadow puppets that focus on expressive silhouettes as well as paper puppets with hand drawn features.
Workshop will cover:
- The mechanics of creating Shadow Puppets – building techniques, mechanisms for creating movement, hinges, rods, color, and other materials.
- Thinking about kinds of Light and Shadow
- Different types of lighting, Light Sources and Projection methods
About the Artist
Myra Su is a storyteller, puppeteer, and puppet maker. Based in Chicago, Myra has been an active member in the puppetry community since 2013. Her primary medium is shadow puppetry but her work also includes experimentations with bunraku, crankies, video, and taxidermy. Her work has also expanded to collaborations outside of theater, with indie bands and musicians.
Join the Holiday Snow Exchange!
- What: real snail-mail exchange of small paper artwork about snow
- When: email Lucrezia by Dec 15; receive your snow partner’s info by Dec 20; send your artwork by Jan 6
After our last years Paper Angel exchange was so well received, we would like to propose a new exchange in time for the holidays. For this year we propose as topic “snow”! Anyone who would like to participate will be matched randomly with one other Guild member who is participating in the exchange (think “Secret Santa” or “Polyanna” or artist trading card exchange”).
You will create small snowflakes or cuttings that include snow for one another–style is open, but these should be artworks that are relatively small scale, simple, and able to be mailed in an envelope. You and your Angel Partner will send your artwork directly to each other.
We will feature the snowy artwork online on our website, and on our with artist’s name and permission of course, as a holiday celebration and to help us get to know one another a bit better!
If you would like to participate, email Lucrezia (bieler@mac.com) to let her know by December 15. She will match you with a partner by December 20, and both of you will get each other’s names and mailing addresses. Create your snowy cutting, and send it by January 6 to your snow partner, along with a brief note sharing a bit about yourself, your life, and your artwork. Mail it out, and wait for the magic of the postal service to bring your partner’s snow creation and note to you, too! 🙂
Call for Art: “UNDERSTORY”: GAP Highfield Hall and Gardens Exhibit 2022
The Guild of American Papercutters Announces a juried Guild of American Papercutters Members’ Exhibit, April 19-July 17, 2022, at Highfield Hall and Gardens in Falmouth, Massachusetts:
Theme: “Understory”
Highfield Hall is the magnificently restored 1878 home of the Beebe family. An exciting, historical venue and a vibrant cultural center surrounded by restored gardens, peaceful walking trails and conservation land on Cape Cod.
“Understory” refers to the rich variety of life and activity found near and on the forest floor, where little sun penetrates. GAP is seeking cut paper artwork submissions exploring the literal Understory, as well as hidden, underground, or underwater ecosystems of any kind. Our work will be shown to advantage in this beautiful venue. We hope you will participate in this opportunity for GAP Members in which the larger community gets to see and share all that GAP has to offer.
Levan in the Trees 
Claudia Hopf, “Rabbit, Bird, Tree” (1978) 
Gaby Studer 
Trudy Kauffman
Entry Deadline: January 15, 2022
Artist Notification: February 27, 2022Artwork Arrival: By Thursday March 31
Opening of show: Tuesday April 19
Artist reception: Monday June 6
Last day of exhibition: July 17
Nov 22 Crafty Hour a Snowy Success
JUST A REMINDER: Crafty Hours are free and for all members! Look in your email for the Zoom link (or email us). Bring a beverage, some paper, and whatever you use to cut: Scissors, knife, scalpel, chainsaw, sickle…. We won’t judge! You do you. Let’s get to know each other and get cutting!!
Quilling with Akesha
Akesha’s introduction to quilling opened participants’ eyes to an amazing new use of paper, full of unexpected design elements to consider and use! We had fun!!!! Thank you, Akesha of All My Quills for the new world you have introduced us to!
Thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s CUTtober challenge. It’s been quite the treat to see everyone’s submissions.
A big shout out to Tracey Escolme who completed all 31 GAP prompts and combined them with 31 prompts from another list. That is just SPOOKTACULAR effort and creativity.
It’s been a challenge, as well, for the GAP staff in charge of collecting all the submissions. If you don’t see your work in the slideshow, we apologize, and hope you will contact us so we can add your work to the slideshow.
Extending A Hand
An Exhibition of Paper Artists
Guild of American Papercutters and Associated Artists of Pittsburgh
October 14 – November 12, 2021
Associated Artists of Pittsburgh Exhibition Space
100 43rd St. Unit 107
Pittsburgh, PA 15201
Now at the end of its second millennium, Paper has had a leading role in the human story. This exhibition will celebrate the endless way that Paper, the most commonplace of materials, can be manipulated while focusing on artworks where Paper, the material and its specific cultural history is at the technical and conceptual center of the work. In this time of remote work and learning, digital file sharing and clouds, streaming everything, this exhibition will show how Paper continues to carry the tactity and warmth of the human hand.
This exhibition will be juried and curated by Imin Yeh. Yeh works predominantly in paper, and her art uses repetitive handcraft and mimicry as a strategy for exploring the issues around the unseen labor and production that lies behind our many unconsidered everyday objects. Yeh is also an Assistant Professor of Art at Carnegie Mellon University
School of Art.
October Crafty Hour: the Fruits of Fall!
Various creations came into being during the recent October Crafty Hour: see the screenshot below for some! Hannah showed us an amazing stop-motion short that she recently created, Wendy talked about methods of using vellum and other materials, Mindy and Laurel shared information about Moroccan and Islamic geometric designs, Cindy showed us how to make cute pumpkin ornaments, and a good time was had by all!
Shown below– Wendy Bale: monarch butterfly using rock paper; Laurel Moorhead: Moroccan tile papercut, also experimenting with rock paper; Cindy Stinson: glowing pumpkin ornaments! also tried out by Hannah Kohl and Jerise; Tracey Escolme: cutober piece (rain & ghosts); Mindy Shapiro: Year of the Tiger celebratory design; Janice Harrel — hmm! Janice, you seem to have been taking notes!! 😉
Ctrl+V(irtual) GAP 2021 Conference a hit!
Our virtual conference was a hit! Thanks to everyone who participated, in all ways! We will be featuring some highlights here in this space soon, including reactions from Conference-Goers, recaps of some sessions, and memories of intense Trivia Games and Scattergories challenges! Stay tuned!
Seasonal Members Art Gallery
GAP artists! To have a particular piece showcased in our ever-changing gallery, please email a good resolution image with your name and the title of the work to gap@papercutters.org !
Recently, Guild members contributed their papercut artwork to the current exhibit at GAP’s National Museum in Somerset, PA, curated by Rebecca Raupach. And now, all of these beautiful member-created designs have been assembled as a traveling show, hosted by GAP members around the country. If you think your area could host a showing at a specific place you have in mind, please let us know: Write us at the address at the bottom of this page, or send email to us at gap@papercutters.org.
Copyright ©2020 Guild of American Papercutters. All Rights Reserved.
The Guild is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The operation of the Guild of American Papercutters is accomplished by volunteers and a very part time archivist and administrator at the Laurel Arts Center. For more information, email: gap@papercutters.org
