School of Art Announces New Papermaking Series to Promote Campus Wellbeing

Faculty in Fulbright College's School of Art are set to host a series of papermaking workshops, lectures and a culminating exhibition this fall as part of their project "Papermaking for Collective Wellbeing."

The project is led by Danqi Cai, assistant professor of foundations, and Ambrin Ling, assistant professor of art and funded through the School of Art's Creativity and Wellness fellowship program, and explores hand papermaking as a tool for community connection, healing and creative expression. The school awarded four fellowships to U of A faculty across several colleges and programs, including exercise science, engineering, business, literature and visual art. 

Cai and Ling commented in a joint statement: "Papermaking workshops of this scale with international organizations like Peace Paper Project are rare in Northwest Arkansas, and this project gives us an opportunity to bring together voices from across our community, including students, veterans, refugees and local residents, to explore the many different ways papermaking can be both sustainable and support emotional wellness." 

The duo has planned several in-person workshops where community members can make paper, print on their creations and learn the art of bookbinding. All campus members are encouraged to attend, and faculty are welcome to bring their classes to the workshops. Transporation throughout the day to and from the Studio and Design Center is accessible via Razorback Transit. Individuals may use the parking lot behind the Sculpture Building for free after 5 p.m. An exhibition and reception featuring work made throughout the series will be held at the end of September and will be open to the public.

In-Person Workshops 

• Sept. 21-22: Community Papermaking Workshop, Union Mall, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. with students and classes; 4-7 p.m. with veterans 

• Sept. 23: Fine Art Papermaking Workshop and Lunch & Learn Lecture, Studio to Design Center, 1st Floor Terrace, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. with students and classes; 4-7 p.m. with veterans 

• Sept. 24: Offsite workshop with community partner Marshallese Educational Initiative, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. (open to members of the initiative)  

• Sept. 25: Bookbinding and Printing Workshop, Studio and Design Center 328 (Riso Room), 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. with students and classes, 4-7 p.m. with veterans 

• Sept. 26: Exhibition and reception, Studio and Design Center 300 + 322, 5-7 p.m.

Cai and Ling have also curated a lineup of national lecturers to discuss how papermaking and therapeutic practices are linked. The fall lectures include:  

Paper as Art Therapy: Aug. 24, 5:30-6:30 p.m. | Studio and Design Center 201 (Lobby) 

An introduction and overview of the art and art therapy of papermaking, loosely following the structure of the book The Art & Art Therapy of Papermaking. Sign up here. 

Veteran Papermaking: Sept. 14, 5:30-6:30 p.m. | Studio and Design Center 201 (Lobby) 

A look at papermaking as a form of therapy for veterans in clinical settings, including VA hospitals and Rush University Medical Center, as well as its use with veterans on college campuses to raise awareness of the veteran experience during service and upon returning home. Drew Matott and Patrick Sargent will join by Zoom from Washington, D.C., where they work with student veterans and the American Legion. Patrick will share his own experience using papermaking to communicate his veteran experience and how he continues to lead papermaking workshops with veterans in the D.C. area. Sign up here. 

Papermaking as Therapeutic Art: Sept. 23, 12-1 p.m. | Studio and Design Center, 101 and 101.2  

Gretchen Miller will present on papermaking as a therapeutic art — distinct from papermaking as art therapy — with a focus on what artists, art educators and social advocates can do for themselves and their communities without an art therapist present. Drew Matott will present on his work with Middle Eastern refugees in Germany and Ukrainian refugees in Estonia, both with and without art therapists involved. Matott and Sargent will be on campus for the lecture and will display samples of paper, books and prints while Miller joins by Zoom, allowing attendees to explore the range of programs happening at the U of A and direct art-therapy-specific questions to Miller. Sign up here. 

Papermaking as Socially Engaged Art Practice and Social Advocacy: Wednesday, Oct. 7, 12-1 p.m. | Studio and Design Center 201 (Lobby)  

A closing lecture for the Peace Paper Project's fall engagement at the U of A, examining how papermaking has been used to raise awareness around issues such as sexual violence (Penn State workshop, 2024), invasive species (bicycle-powered papermaking workshops) and the veteran experience, along with a review of the fall's programming at the U of A. Matott will Zoom in from Tartu, Estonia, where he will be working with displaced Ukrainian families, giving U of A students a chance to connect directly with the Estonia-based project. Miller will put together an animated slideshow recapping the U of A program, drawing on documentation shared by the project team. Sign up here. 

Zoom links for individuals not local to Northwest Arkansas may be provided upon request via email to dcai@uark.edu or ambrinl@uark.edu. All events are free and open to the public. RSVPs are encouraged via HogSync. 

Cai and Ling's yearlong project aims to enhance new creative wellness practices and strengthen interdisciplinary student collaboration, with a particular focus on youth engagement. 

This initiative is part of the school's ongoing work to expand access to creativity-based wellness initiatives. Inspired by a growing body of research, SoA's fellowships support campuswide projects, like Cai and Ling's, that demonstrate how creativity improves mental and physical health, reduces stress and anxiety, and increases quality of life. For more information about the fellowships and the School of Art's work, visit www.art.uark.edu.