With the support of the Mesaros Fund, the Department of Studio Art welcomes papermaking artisan Ueno Satoko.
Ueno is a Japanese washi artisan based in Nagano, Japan. Her practice is rooted in the traditional Uchiyama washi papermaking tradition of Kijimadaira village, where her kozo farm and studio are located. Uchiyama washi is a traditional paper making that makes use of a process which is extensive and time intensive but a completely natural technique. Especially the bleaching process called snow bleaching, a process of naturally bleaching the soon-to-be paper using the sun and snow rather than artificial chemical methods is a unique technique cultivated by the heavy snowfall area surrounding mountains in Kijimadaira.
In the first half of the lecture, Ueno will introduce the history of papermaking, including how papermaking techniques developed across the world, how the use of paper evolved in Japan, and how the industrial development after WWII affected papermaking in Japan. Following the lecture, she will demonstrate the traditional papermaking process in the sculpture studio.
Location: Horvitz Hall 220 (Seminar Room)
Sponsored by the Mesaros Fund.