Events › Arts and Crafts at Albany Library—Papermaking

ACKNOWLEDGING AAPI MONTH-PAPERMAKING

History of Papermaking — About 1,800 years ago, Chinese artists shared their art (pictures & symbols) with others by recording it on tree bark, cave walls, and clay tablets before they invented paper. Tsai, Lun is the inventor of paper. He was an official at the Chinese Imperial Court at the Han Dynasty. In 105 A.D., Tsai, Lun presented Emperor Han Ho Ti with samples of paper. The paper was made by mixing mulberry bark, hemp, and rags with water, mashed it into pulp, pressed out the liquid and hung the thin mat to dry in the sun. Chinese records do mention and credit Tsai, Lun with the invention of paper. (Source: Fang, Dalang. Lun Tsai. Accessed April 26, 2023. http://www1.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/library/history/tsailun.html.)

Papermaking — Today, creating paper is accomplished by a process like the one used by Tsai Lun. The workshop shows attendees how to create paper by doing the following steps: (1) combining shredded strips of paper, water,  and artificial color with a blender, (2) using a frame-based mold and deckle, sponge, and towel to flatten the paper pulp and remove access water, (3) applying pressed flowers, leaves, and glitter to the paper pulp, and (4) finally, letting the flatten paper pulp start the drying process before taking it home. The process takes about 2-hours and might require attendees to take their paper pulp home to sun dry.

This program requires no training, just a desire to create unique pieces by following simple instructions and techniques, which are applied to everyday materials and supplies.

Workshop Audience: Adults and Teens (10 years & up). Note: Kids 6-9 years old must be accompanied by an adult.

Note: Challenges with registering for this event? Please ask reference for assistance.

Sponsor(s): Friends of the Albany Library and the Alameda County Library

Masks are optional for visitors and staff at all our AC Library locations in alignment with the end of State and local COVID-19 emergencies.