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Our friend and combat papermaker Donna Perdue has started Paper Bridges, to serve the Cleveland, OH area. Donna uses papermaking to transform articles of clothing of those who have experienced personal trauma into positive paper memories. Check out her web site to learn more about the project and upcoming papermaking workshops. Donna was with us in Key West and led us on our paper excursions into the ocean and a swimming pool.
Our sojourn to the Conch Republic has ended. We discussed our future, made paper on the beach and in a swimming pool, met some great folks and lost track of the outside world. There is something about the tropics that relaxes the soul and refreshes the spirit. The Key West Citizen ran a nice Sunday spread about the CP Project and our visit to The Studios of Key West. The Miami Herald also ran a story about our stop in Key West.
We're finalizing our tour schedule for next year; still waiting for confirmation on some dates and venues. But so far, we expect to make it to the Corcoran, the Newark Public Library, a trip to University of Iowa's Center for the Book, a stop at University of Alabama's Book Arts MFA program, plus stops in Boston, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and central Florida. Oh, and we're working out the details of a European tour from August thru October. We've just posted our tentative schedule on our tour page. We've got our eye on a swing through the Pacific northwest in 2011. If you wish to host a veterans workshop, artist residency or exhibit in your area, be sure to contact us at info@combatpaper.org to discuss arrangements.
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Our good friend and filmmaker, Sara Nesson tells us that HBO has acquired her film, Poster Girl, as part of their series on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The film is a portrayal of Robynn Murray, the Army's 2005 Poster Girl for women in combat in Iraq, as she struggles with addictions to prescription drugs, the VA bureaucracy, mounting personal debt and the everyday horrors of PTSD. Sara first met Robynn at the workshop at Martha's Vineyard in July, 2008. You might also remember Robynn's paper art; she created a series of life size paper breast plates made from a mold of her torso. For more information about Poster Girl, and the current status of her film, Iraq Paper Scissors, visit Sara's web site.
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The Combat Paper Project is now on Facebook! For a less formal, unedited, means of connecting with the Combat Paper Project while on tour, you can check out the posts and candid images on Facebook. Just sign on to your personal account in Facebook, then search on "Combat Papermakers".
We've just finished up a two-week artist residency and veterans workshop in San Antonio, Texas at the Southwest School of Art & Craft, in conjunction with the Engaged and Fragmented exhibit. We were pleased to show our paper art along side those of Eric Avery, John Risseeuw and Peter Sowiski. Terry Gildea wrote a short article about the workshop for Texas Public Radio.
Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine ran a November 11 story, Art as Catharsis - The Combat Paper Project, giving focus to the workshop process, rather than the artifacts.
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Drew Matott and John LaFalce were interviewed by Steve Miller, head of the University of Alabama MFA Book Arts program, at the Friends of Dard Hunter Annual Meeting in Atlanta in October. The audio interview touches on the bicycle powered beater demonstration. But most of the interview delves into the Combat Paper Project story; the history, the natural evolution, the personal stories behind the workshops. The interview runs 39 minutes. Grab a cup of coffee, sit back and listen....
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Drew Cameron and Jon Turner were interviewed for a Veterans Day Special Program on Radio Netherlands Worldwide. The 12:30 audio segment is entitled Tearing Up the Uniform, and can be downloaded from the RNW web site. This interview is about the human story behind the Combat Paper Project; it is not a typical sound bite.
Repeat visitors to the Combat Paper web page may have noticed a change in our logo. The original logo was based upon an inverted image taken from Breaking Rank, an iconic piece by Drew Cameron depicting the ritual shedding of his military uniform. It served us well; after all, it was our metaphorical starting point. It was created by our web master in the summer of 2008 as we first launched our web page.
The new design is reminiscent of Army Wrong. The concept was first used in publicity for our Firehouse Gallery (Burlington, VT) exhibit and community workshops, and again at at our workshop in Madison at the University of Wisconsin. Our thanks to graphic artist Julie VonderVellen at Madison for the current design.
But after making the change, we're not sure. The new design is crisp and bold, attributes that we like, but it lacks the nuance and interest of the original. We're in a quandry. We'll be discussing this (and a number of other items) at our planning retreat and residency in Key West in December. We'd love to hear your thoughts. If you have an opinion, drop us an email. Let us know what you think and why.
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We're just back from the Friends of Dard Hunter annual meeting in Atlanta (October 15-18) where we provided an update on Combat Paper happenings and a workshop demonstration using our portable beater powered by a bicycle. The beater first traveled on our United Kingdom Tour; now it travels wherever we go.
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The Combat Paper Project was featured in the October 5th, 2009 edition of The Christian Science Monitor. Check out Stacy Teicher Khadaroo's article, Shredding War's Dark Memories.
The University of Wisconsin at Madison workshop (September 30th - October 3rd) held in conjunction with Robert Possehl was a great success. Go to Honoring the Warrior: Combat Paper on the Black Hawk Trail on our workshop page for news and pictures.
News stories have emerged from the Combat Paper workshops in Minneapolis at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, which ran from September 21-28. You can read Alison Morse's September 16th article on mnartists.org, Susannah Schouweiler's September 18th article on MinnPost.com or Briana Bierschbach's September 25th article on TwinCities.com to learn more about the event.
Eli Wright of the Combat Paper Project was featured on the cover of summer 2009 issue of Hand Papermaking. And don't miss Sandy Kinnee's article inside about the Project. He helped host the veterans' workshops at Colorado College in November 2008. Reprinted with permission from Hand Papermaking vol. 24, no. 1 (Summer 2009), � 2009 by Hand Papermaking, Inc. (www.handpapermaking.org) All rights reserved.
Truthout.org has published Art as Resistance in their September 6th issue, featuring the work of the Combat Paper and Warrior Writers Projects.
Radio Netherlands published a piece about the Combat Paper Project. The August 14th story, When Art Recycles Conflict, was written by Paddy Maguire.
Lovella Calica and our friends at Warrior Writers have launched a new web site. Take a look at warriorwriters.org to see where they will be going next. What Combat Paper does with paper arts, Lovella and crew does with the written and spoken word. They help vets find their voice. Look for them at a town near you!
The workshop in Savannah has received some press. You can read Pamela Walck's series, a June 20th article from the Savannah Morning News prior to the event, her July 24th article, or her article from the 31st at the workshop. And Patrick Rodgers did an article about the workshop for Connect Savannah. And if you like TV video bytes, check out the local TV video piece from WJCL. You may also want to check out a more thoughtful article by Russ Bynam of the Associated Press about the workshop that was picked up in Stars and Stripes. There are also some candid stills from the workshop.
The tour of the United Kingdom has concluded after visiting England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Workshops and demonstrations were held in several venues in addition to the traveling Fabric of War exhibition.
The BBC has produced a news segment about the recent Combat Paper exhibit and tour in England. The english language version features an interview with Drew Cameron.
Some of Jon Michael Turner's work was included in Salute America!, an "art show that celebrates patriotism, embodies the American experience and appreciates military personnel". The exhibit ran over the Independence Day weekend at the Accidental Gallery in Chicago, IL.
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The Combat Paper Project has established the Combat Paper Press, to print, publish and bind book editions and anthologies, furthering the Combat Paper message. The first book, I Hacky Sacked in Iraq, a collection of personal poems and essays, by combat papermaker Nathan Lewis was published in August. It is hand bound with a combat paper cover. A second book, The New Citizen Army made in collaboration with author Greg Delanty is expected in the Fall. The collection of poems will be hand bound, also featuring covers made from combat paper. The May 11th edition of Publishers Weekly ran a story, "Combat Poetry: Swords into Ploughshares - and Paper", announcing the colaborative venture.
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Two articles by Robin Caudell appeared in the Plattsburgh Press Republican. The first,"War, what is it good for? Combat Paper" connects her own experiences to those of combat papermakers. The second, "Two Soldiers' Stories of War and Art" focuses on the personal stories of Eli Wright and Matt Howard, two combat papermakers. In this day of 30 second soundbites it is refreshing to read news articles that rekindle our human connections.
Burlington City Arts has become our fiscal sponsor, thus extending their non-profit umbrella to the Combat Paper Project. Donations can now be made to the project on a tax-deductable basis through Burlington City Arts. In addition, we can now apply for grants available to non-profit organizations.
The Combat Paper Project has international appeal! It started with a brief workshop in Ottawa, Canada last November, then another visit to Quebec this spring. And then a lecture by Drew Matott about the Project at Camberwell College of Art attracted interest in London, England. The attention has sparked a Combat Paper Project tour of the United Kingdom starting with an exhibit at Courtauld Institute of Art in London in mid-May. The month long tour of workshops and events revolved around three exhibits; the Courtauld in May, the Phoenix Gallery in Brighton in July and the Birnam Institute in Dunkeld, Scotland in November. Specific tour dates and venues included exhibits, lectures, papermaking demonstrations and workshops in London, Warrington and Brighton in England, at Dunkeld in Scotland, and in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The specific tour dates and locales are listed on our tour page.
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We're excited about our Firehouse Gallery show (Burlington City Arts, February 20 - April 11). It featured a traditional exhibit of Combat Paper art in the gallery as well as a fully functioning paper making studio. An interactive 'reading room' was in the rear gallery. We hope the interactive format, of bringing the artist and the studio to the gallery, will expand the conversation about the Combat Paper Project. Saturday afternoon community papermaking workshops were a great success.
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Check out two local media pieces about the show; a WCAX-TV's news video and a March 4th Seven Days article. And Vermont Art Zine did a thoughtful review of the exhibit. Lucia Suarez has done a multimedia piece for the St. Michael's College Echo and Ben Sarle (B Scene blog on burlingtonfreepress.com) has posted some photos taken at the March 7th workshop. You may also want to check out a blog by Edgar Beem at Yankee Magazine about the Firehouse show. And CCTV has done a half-hour video piece, including a tour of the exhibit, a segment from the opening, scenes from the workshops and interviews with several participants. For a different slant on the exhibit, check out Karen Geiger's brief review from the Burlington Art Map April edition. You might also be interested in excerpts from essays written about a visit to the exhibit by Community College of Vermont students.
Jan Barry's blogspot provides some very human highlights from the performance and Warrior Writers workshop held at City University of New York on March 30th.
Several pieces of Drew Cameron's Combat Paper artwork were featured in the inaugeral issue of Consequence Magazine, a literary magazine addressing war in the 21st century.
The Combat Paper Project was given a mention in the January 2009 Hand Papermaking Newsletter, a quarterly publication for paper and book artists.
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For a very thoughtful piece on the Combat Paper Project check out "Culture Warriors" in Jan Barry's December 15th blog. This isn't the usual 3 column inch story with a sound bite. He came to the Rutgers workshop, planning to visit the first day. He stayed for the week.
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The New England Cable News (NECN.com) ran a December 6th video story about the Combat Paper Project, including interviews with Drew Cameron and Eli Wright while they were making combat paper at the Green Door Studio in Burlington, VT.
The December 1st Burlington Free Press ran a front page story about the Combat Paper Project and the process of making paper from combat uniforms.
On November 2nd, Fox News covered the Combat Paper Project at Colorado College in Colorado Springs. Check out their video coverage, "Veterans Turn Uniforms into Paper".
More video coverage, "Turning Uniforms into Paper", comes from CBS affiliate KKTV which also reported on the Colorado Springs event.
An art review, "Show Goes Beyond Politics", from the October 30th Chicago Tribune critiques the Art of Democracy exhibit, giving honorable mention to the Combat Paper Portfolio.
From the October 9th Syracuse Post Standard comes this article, "ArtRage Gallery Opens". Combat Paper was the opening exhibit for ArtRage Gallery.
A September 19, 2008 article, "ARTS-US: Iraq War Vets Transforming Trauma" features the work of the Combat Paper and Warrior Writer Projects. It was published by The Inter Press Service (IPS), a global news agency, that offers an independent voice to an international community.
And another article, "Scars and Stripes", from the September 25th Boston Pheonix continues the Combat Paper story.
From the Mills College Newsroom comes this September 2008 article, "Mills College to Host Art Workshop for War Veterans" that features the upcoming visit of the Combat Paper Project to Mills in October. And a second article from the October 27th Mills campus newspaper, after the visit.
Our Fall 2008 Tour of exhibits, institutional Combat Paper artist visits and workshops was a great success. If you wish to be included on our workshop tours, contact Drew Cameron for more information. Two tours are on the drawing board for Autumn of 2009; one through the mid-west/southern US and another across Canada.
Starting off our 2008 Fall Tour were lectures at SUNY Plattsburgh and SUNY Potsdam, then we returned to St. Lawrence University, where we first began our outreach papermaking workshops on Armistice Day, just last year. This visit included a two-month long exhibit of work by combat papermakers in the Richard F. Brush Gallery, a veterans' papermaking workshop, public presentations and lectures about Art & Activism.
We launched our new website in August 2008! While the information is much the same as before, the aesthetics and layout have changed to keep pace with our expanding national scope and audience. Our thanks to the Green Door Studio for hosting our start-up efforts. For frequent visitors, you may wish to "bookmark" our new home page. While the Green Door Studio page can still get you here, you may prefer the more direct route.
In the spring of 2008 several institutions hosted the Combat Paper Workshops, enabling the project to tour the country. Combat Papermakers from the Green Door Studio conducted the workshops as a means to connect with other Iraq War Veterans through the making of paper art. The primary focus of the spring tour was to train a team of Los Angeles veterans on how to make paper and conduct workshops, passing the torch from the east to the west coast.
A number of news articles have been written about the Combat Paper Project ...
A July 25, 2008 article, "War in Pieces: Combat Paper Project Sees Veterans Use Uniforms to Heal" features the work of the Combat Paper and Warrior Writer Projects on Martha's Vineyard.
A July 17, 2008 article, "Power with art: Iraq vets come to Island" features the work of the Combat Paper and Warrior Writer Projects on Martha's Vineyard.
In the Summer 2008 edition of Positive News, the article "Vets Find Healing Hope in Combat Paper Project" features the work of the Combat Paper.
The May 15, 2008 broadcast, "GRITtv with Laura Flanders" features the work of Sara Nesson and the Combat Paper and Warrior Writer Projects.
The May 11, 2008 Chicago Public Radio broadcast, "Art School Activism (Extended Conversation)" features the work of Drew Matott and the Combat Paper Project.
An April 22, 2008 Boston Globe article, "The power in their pain: Iraq war veterans create art to protest" features the work of the Combat Paper and Warrior Writer Projects.
In 2007 a series of pulp prints on Combat Paper was included in "Mutanabbi Street: An Exhibition of Broadsides" curated by Kathleen Walkup, Director of the Book Arts Program at Mills College displayed at the San Francisco Center for the Book, and showed in St. Louis at the Craft Alliance as part of "The Imbedded Image: Current Work in Hand Papermaking" exhibit curated by Tom Lang.
Combat Paper Portfolios have been added to the permanent collections at a number of libraries and universities; recent volumes have been purchased by the University of Cincinnati, University of Connecticut, Lafayette College, Wellesley College, Western Carolina University, Temple University, Princeton University, the Boston Athenaeum and the Library of Congress. Our thanks to all the institutions who have purchased portflios.
On Armistice Day, 2007 St. Lawrence University hosted a Combat Paper Workshop, the first of our outreach efforts. |
