Paper and Place
A material practice of attention, ecology, and relationship and making space for thoughtful, lasting work.
Paper has become one of the central materials in my artistic practice, not simply as a surface to receive an image, but as a way of thinking about relationship, memory, landscape, and the places we inhabit.
Unlike industrial paper, handmade paper asks us to slow down. It begins with fiber, water, and the movements of the hand. Every sheet is an accumulation of choices and relationships. It records time. It bears witness to care. It carries the traces of place.
Over the past several years my work has increasingly explored handmade paper as both material and metaphor. Paper becomes an analogue for the body, for landscape, for memory, and for the fragile systems that sustain life. It asks what it means to make by hand during a time of ecological uncertainty, and how creative practice might deepen our relationship with the places to which we belong.
The title Paper & Place reflects an ongoing inquiry rather than a fixed body of knowledge. It is a space where artistic practice, material research, ecological thinking, photography, and community come together. It grows out of the conviction that the materials we choose—and the ways we gather, make, and pay attention—shape not only our work but our understanding of ourselves and the world.
Much of my current research explores papermaking as an indicator species for the polycrisis: the overlapping ecological, cultural, social, and economic challenges of our time. The fibers we choose, the water we use, the plants we cultivate, and the stories embedded within each sheet reveal something about the health of the communities and ecosystems to which we belong.
This page is intended as a living resource. Over time it will become a place to share essays, workshop reflections, bibliographies, field notes, lectures, and practical resources related to handmade paper and its relationship to contemporary life.
I hope it offers not only information, but an invitation to look more carefully at the materials that surround us and the places that sustain us.
Workshops & Lectures
Workshops are designed for universities, museums, arts organizations, residency programs, and community groups. They can be adapted for beginners, experienced artists, educators, and interdisciplinary audiences.
Current offerings include:
Paper & Place
An introduction to handmade paper through history, materiality, and relationship. Participants explore papermaking as both a practical skill and a contemplative practice rooted in attention, place, and reciprocity.
Workshops and lectures are available for universities, museums, residency programs, community organizations, and arts centers. Offerings may be adapted for students, artists, educators, or interdisciplinary audiences.
Papermaking in the Polycrisis
An illustrated lecture and workshop exploring handmade paper as a lens through which to consider ecology, sustainability, material culture, and the future of creative practice.
The Body Is a Fragile Territory
An artist talk and studio workshop examining the intersections of photography, handmade paper, memory, the body, and environmental change through experimental processes.
Photography Beyond the Camera
An exploration of photography as an expanded field, incorporating paper, light, touch, time, and material experimentation.
Custom workshops and lectures can also be developed in collaboration with your institution, collection, residency, or community.
A Growing Resource
In the coming months this page will continue to evolve.
Future additions will include:
Essays and reflections
Reading lists and bibliographies
Workshop handouts
Material guides
Field notes
Interviews and conversations
Downloadable resources
Research in progress
I believe knowledge grows through generosity. My hope is that this evolving collection becomes useful not only to workshop participants, but to artists, educators, students, and anyone curious about the relationships between making, ecology, and place.
Bring Paper & Place to Your Community
If you are interested in hosting a workshop, lecture, visiting artist program, or collaborative project, I would be delighted to continue the conversation.
Continue the conversation
Whether you're interested in a workshop, lecture, artist talk, residency, exhibition collaboration, or simply have a question about the work, I'd be delighted to hear from you. Please share a little about your project or community, and I'll be in touch.