Material Conversations invites work that explores the expressive possibilities and relationships of paper, fiber, print, surface, and assemblage. Through papermaking, printmaking, weaving, stitching, folding, layering, binding, assemblage, sculptural construction, and other paper- and fiber-based processes, artists transform individual materials into works shaped by connection, repetition, texture, and form.
The exhibition celebrates work in which material is integral to meaning. Paper and fiber may serve as surface, structure, fragment, or building block: folded, woven, stitched, layered, cut, joined, accumulated, or assembled into something new. From intimate two-dimensional works to dimensional and sculptural forms, Material Conversations considers what emerges when materials interact, transform, and speak through one another.
The checklist of work that might be included: Handmade and artist-made paper; Handmade paper with printed, stitched, woven, or other surface treatments; Paper assemblage and collage; Fiber and mixed-media assemblage; Folded, cut, layered, or constructed paper; Woven or interlaced paper and fiber; Stitching, embroidery, or fiber work on paper; Paper and fiber sculpture; Dimensional and relief-based work; Printmaking incorporating paper or fiber processes; Mixed-media work in which paper or fiber is a significant material; Textiles incorporating paper, pulp, or other fibers.
Up to 3 entries must be submitted electronically, accompanied by a $35.00 fee. Juror: Rhiannon Alpers is a papermaker, letterpress printer, and book artist based in Portland, Oregon. She holds both a BA and an MFA in Book and Paper Arts and has exhibited nationally and internationally. Her work is held in the collections of the Library of Congress, Stanford University, the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, the University of Denver, the University of Colorado, Colorado College, Colorado State University, and other public and private collections.