Sat 4/13 @ noon-3PM
On Sat 4/13, the Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory is opening up its doors for a unique and fun opportunity to learn more about this nonprofit and like-minded organizations in the area. From 12-3pm, you can gain the the basics of papermaking, woodblock printing, paper marbling and indigo dyeing in one day and walk away with your own artwork. We wanted to learn more about the Morgan and what their entirely free open house has to offer, so CoolCleveland sat down with both Jacqueline Bon, marketing and communications coordinator, and studio workshop coordinator Tana Pierro.
CoolCleveland: Can you start by giving a brief overview of the Morgan Conservatory in general, and then we can talk about your studios?
Jacqueline: Sure thing. The Morgan has been a nonprofit for 12 years now. We are on East 47th street, technically in the Midtown neighborhood of Cleveland, and we are dedicated to all things paper art — we have a book bindery, a printmaking studio that is mostly letterpress, and a papermaking studio which we are most well known for.
CoolCleveland: That’s very funky.
Jacqueline: It is funky. You can find places across the county that are dedicated to one of those art practices, but we are unique because we have all of them under one roof. We also grow kozo, which is the paper mulberry plant that is used for traditional eastern papermaking. We grow that onsite, harvest it once a year, and then use it to make paper and teach how to make paper!
Tana: As the workshop coordinator, one of the ways we teach how to make paper is to host artists that work with the variety of practices in our studios to teach. They come in and teach typically weekend long workshops, with instructors from all over the country as well as many local people.
CoolCleveland: Can you talk more about those workshops? Who comes to those? Are they beginners? Experienced professionals?
Tana: Our workshops are for all skill levels. They serve beginners to advanced, and the instructors that we bring in are good about modifying for the skill levels that are in the room. We have people who come to the same workshops more than once because it’s just great to get practice in. Obviously in the paper studios there are lots of different papermaking workshops, so this coming summer we have lots of workshops focusing on using invasive species plant fibers as well as local and natural plant fibers. Our bindery is more dedicated to the book arts — along with different types of binding structures we also do encaustic workshops. That’s more like wax painting. Within our letterpress studio, this summer is an exciting time, focusing on things like block printing and forms outside of letterpress.
CoolCleveland: Do you find that people come in for more professional development reasons and are using these skills to capitalize on, or do you find that they are more creatives who find that this is their weird niche passion?
Tana: There are people at the workshops who are all across the board. Some come in and do not consider themselves an artist in any way, and just thought the workshop would be cool. We also get teachers from CMSD and other schools in the area, or librarians, who want to learn a skill to bring back to the classroom. Others consider themselves professional artists that are trying to expand on their mediums.
CoolCleveland: Can you tell us about the partnerships with the Praxis Fiber Studio and the Cleveland Seed Bank that you’ve brought in for this open house?
Jacqueline: I think this is a very natural collaboration because we are three different organizations that rely on a healthy ecosystem to fulfill our mission. We have Praxis that’s growing indigo to dye fiber. Then we have the Cleveland Seed Bank that is working on educating and inspiring a community of seed savers. And then we have us at the Morgan, which grows kozo and other fibers to make paper. So I think makes sense to have us all under the same roof, talking to the same people. We all want to allow the community to learn hands-on activities and find out firsthand what we do.
CoolCleveland: That’s all very cool. Is there anything else you want to get across to the community?
Tana: Yes. These past two years, one of our major goals for the studio open house is to provide a space to introduce visitors who otherwise wouldn’t come to us — people right within this neighborhood and in the Greater Cleveland area — to have a chance to be introduced to our studio practices and other programs. It’s a really wonderful opportunity to open our doors and have people come in that would not usually be able to commit to a full workshop.
Jacqueline: Although we have been in this neighborhood for 12 years, there are still a lot of people in Cleveland who have never visited. Our Studio Open House provides an opportunity to learn the fundamentals and hopefully walk away with something beautiful that they made with their own hands.
There is a $10 suggested donation for those who are able to pay, but no one will be turned away. Purchase presale tickets here, or donate with cash or card at the door.
[Written by Jenna Thomas]
Cleveland, OH 44103
Cleveland, OH 44103