In our Book Arts and Papermaking workshops & print making workshops we connect to rich – and still quite viable – resources through excursions, demonstrations on historical papermaking equipment (Fabriano), and visits to Monte Castello by some of the greatest craftsmen in Italy!
A master papermaker, Amanda Degener, writes, “Paper is an amazing, surprising material with the potential to be structurally strong or flexible and soft, opaque or translucent, an artwork in itself, a base for drawings and paintings, a sculptural form, or bound into books for writing and illustrations.”
Italy is rich in its great library and museum holdings of illuminated manuscripts, ancient books, and works on paper. However, in Italy, the cultural significance of works on paper, hand-bound books, and beautiful paper are not exclusive to its historical treasures. Books and a celebration of the beauty of paper are a vital part of Italy’s ongoing artistic traditions and very much - living arts! In fact, cities like Florence, Orvieto, Perugia, and Rome are rich in venerable old shops specializing in the most beautifully bound books, marbled papers, and handmade papers available. On the opposite end of the spectrum exists only one need to visit the quiet, mountain village of Fabriano to find one of the oldest and largest producers of papers in the world, which in fact bears the name of the village. The huge company, nonetheless still produces some of the finest watercolor and drawing papers in the world.
