Papermaking with Invasive Species
with Alyssa Sacora
Saturday, September 20 | 10 am – 4 pm
Plants are all around us and some can be problematic in the landscape. What if instead of seeing these plants as a burden, we look at them through the lens of craft and make some materials for our artwork?
In this one day workshop, we will go through the process of turning Japanese Stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) into paper. Working with dried plant material removed from the Arboretum’s landscape, we will cut, cook, and pulp these plant fibers, mix them with cotton, and pull sheets of paper that can be used for writing, drawing, and paper arts.
Participants will get hands-on with each step of the process and make enough paper to take a small stack home. Reference materials will be provided for future papermaking explorations.