In collaboration with visiting artist E Ainsley, atelier retailles invites you to meet the artist and discover their practice while taking part in this pulp casting workshop.
e ainsley is an artist and educator currently living and working in central Illinois. They hold a BFA in sculpture from the University of South Florida and an MFA in sculpture and papermaking from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. For eight years e lived in Portland, OR where they worked as a preparator and installation specialist at numerous galleries and venues throughout the city while teaching Hatha yoga on the side. E worked as a flower farmer in Illinois for two years after earning their MFA and remains in relation to plants and the land through papermaking and a folk herbalism practice. She currently works as studio manager at Fresh Press paper in Champaign, where she leads the Artist in Residence program.
In this workshop we will use quick-cure silicone putty to make a mold of a cherished object that you bring to the studio. After it cures and you remove the object, we'll pack paper into our molds to infuse this new sculpture with deeper meaning. Bring your own papers, journal pages, photos and old documents to turn into pulp. The process of breaking down old notes and letters and transforming them into something new can be magical. Because the fibers have the potential to hold so much history, the medium works on its own to tell stories, disrupt or establish an archive, and ask questions about origin. This practice is integral to queer experiences of being and forever becoming. Each participant will leave with a paper replica of the original object as well as a silicone mold for future use.
These sessions are meant to create a space in which an intimate group of queers can gather and feel liberated through the art-making process.
Workshop in English - no prior experience needed - all materials included
Final sales. No refund or change of date.