Beyond the Surface: The Art of Handmade Paper

More than just a surface on which to paint, draw, or sketch, paper is a dynamic art form that encourages collaboration and welcomes spontaneity. This exhibition explores the shape-shifting quality of paper—how it can transform from pulpy fiber into vibrant works of art through hand papermaking. Featured are handmade paper creations by master papermakers as well as artists newer to the medium displaying a variety of techniques that expand our understanding of what paper can be. The works presented here were created in collaboration with Dieu Donné, New York. Founded in 1976, Dieu Donné is the leading nonprofit cultural institution dedicated to the
use of hand papermaking processes in contemporary art.
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For several of the artists in the exhibition, it is their first major foray into hand papermaking. Working with an expert studio collaborator, the artists transform fibers—such as cotton and linen—into a variety of innovative forms ranging from vibrant pulp paintings to delicately layered art objects. Together, the artists and studio collaborators lift, press, blow, pour, and pull the pulp to create unique works of art. This requires trusting the materials, working together, and embracing unplanned discoveries along the way.

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Beyond the Surface: The Art of Handmade Paper is supported by

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All exhibitions at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art are underwritten by the MBMA Exhibition Fund.

All exhibitions at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art are underwritten by the MBMA Exhibition Fund. Major annual support is provided by Kay Clark and Maggie and Milton Lovell, with generous annual funding from Anonymous, Gloria and Kenneth Boyland, Holly and Paul T. Combs, Deborah and Bob Craddock, Michael and Maria Douglass, Eleanor and William Halliday, Debi and Galen Havner, Buzzy Hussey and Hal Brunt, Jay and Kristen Keegan, the Doris S. and Hubert Kiersky Charitable Remainder Trust, Carl and Valerie Person, and Bill Townsend.

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