Papermaking Play

with Rowan Leek
August 22, 10:00 a.m.– 5:00 p.m.
Tuition: $250
Materials Fee: $30

Participants in this workshop will learn to make their own richly textured handmade paper using abaca, cotton, and hemp fibers. Demonstrations will cover sheet pulling and a range of surface-decoration techniques, including stenciling, dry-brush applications, and squeeze-bottle mark-making. The workshop will begin with foundational papermaking methods, followed by hands-on exploration at the vats as participants create multiple sheets to air-dry at home. Finished papers can be used for drawing, collage, or craft projects, or enjoyed as artworks on their own.

Plan to bring: a notebook or sketchbook, waterproof shoes (such as rain boots), and any botanical or collage materials you’d like to incorporate.

Location: Main Campus - 3435 Rupprecht Way, Saugatuck, MI 49453

Rowan Leek (he/him) is a paper and fiber artist originally from Memphis. He graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Art with a BFA in Sculpture and Expanded Media. While in college, he interned at the Morgan Conservatory for two summers and learned paper and printmaking. He went on to receive a studio management internship at Penland School of Craft’s Books and Paper Studios and returned the following winter as a studio assistant. Leek currently resides in West Michigan and works as Campus Manager at Ox-Bow. His work has been shown at the Betsy Gallery at Ox-Bow; at Reinberger Gallery and Bostwick Design Art Initiative, Cleveland; and as part of the traveling Queer Ecology Hanky Project.

Photo courtesy of artist