2010

January

Decorative Arts Center, Artful Paper Exhibit January - March, 2010

The Decorative Arts Center of Ohio is based in the Reese-Peters House at 145 East Main Street, Lancaster, Ohio, 43130. The phone number is 740-681-1423 and the FAX number is 740-681-2713. The Decorative Arts Center is organizing an exhibit which will present a portion of the spectrum of paper arts. Some of the art forms and artists which will be included are: origami - Jon Tucker, Dr. Michael Weinstein, CAPS group projects; shoes - Carlos Molina ; hats - Moses from the Mingei Museum Collection; paper dress - Andy Warhol; marbling and calligraphy - Merida Weinstein; Yasue Sakaoka will be participating as well as pop-up, collage, and paper sculptors. The exhibit will include paper wigs as well as paper dresses. It will be an eye opening experience for many people.

March

Decorative Arts Center

Members of Capital Area Paper Shapers, a Columbus based origami group, will be teaching origami at a workshop at the Decorative Arts Center in Lancaster on Sunday March 14th beginning at 2pm. The workshop is open to all experience levels. While children are welcome to participate, the program will be shaped for adults. The 90 minute program will cover numerous basic folds which will allow participants to continue to explore the exciting art of origami once they've finished the workshop. Paper will be provided and several models will be demonstrated. Join us for the afternoon and you'll see paper in a whole new light.

May

Marcon

This is the third year we've attended Marcon. The organizers and participants at Marcon are so receptive and helpful, it's always a pleasure to give presentations at this large alternative reality (we used to call them science fiction) convention. In addition to the three workshops we held over the weekend, we participated in the Art Show displaying a variety of models from dragons to boxes. We may return for a fourth year, if the organizers allow us to come back. The attendance at our workshops warrant an invitation to return and we'd be happy to make another appearance. Perhaps we'll see you there next year.

Asian Festival

As failures go this was pretty abysmal. Not that the festival was a failure, but our appearance, our participation at the festival can't be deemed anything more than a failure. The festival has thousands that attend each year. It's held on the grounds of the Franklin Park Conservatory. There are a variety of cultural activities and assorted foods from Asian nations. We had hoped to reach people who might be interested in origami and might not other wise learn of our activities in Columbus.

I should have known from my inability to draw a response from the organizers that CAPS participation was not noted. We were told to report to the volunteers tent and then directed to the children's area. Those of us who signed up to work the festival were at loose ends being unable to find any one with any knowledge of the schedule of events. A few of us took some space in the tent and folded and instructed the interested children. Others of us were asked to do face painting...not really the reason we were there. In an effort to make our appearance at the festival of some benefit to our purpose we handed out promotional postcards for the upcoming convention.

If we return to the Asian Festival next year it will have to be under very different circumstances. Perhaps, we'll be able to have our own tent in which we can interact with the public and teach origami. We shall see.

June

Origami USA's National Convention

Origami USA's National Convention is quite a large event. Not as large as Marcon, but considering that the panels are actually classes quite a large undertaking. The convention was held at the FIT again, and the exhibit was on site at the FIT. I believe the convention was deemed to be a success, the attendance seemed comparable to previous years.

A number of members of CAPS attended the national. Jon Tucker not only exhibited his original designs but he taught his dragonfly. Monica didn't manage to get any of the classes she wanted so she and John spent their time trying to promote CenterFold. They made numerous contacts and had a chance to visit New York Central Art Supply. This store has a tremendous selection of merchandise, including quite an array of papers. Their catalog is available by request.

The trip was concluded by a visit to the Starlite Diner and Lounge in Allentown, PA which is becoming an annual tradition. We've found this to be a clean well staffed establishment. While one wouldn't describe the meals as "fine dining", they are served with pride and care.

July

Morgan Conservatory of Papermaking

Monica Salisbury was scheduled to teach an origami workshop in July, but due to a lack of registrations the workshop was cancelled.

August

Origami - By Hand

Exhibit in the Loft Gallery at the Cultural Arts Center

August had quite a lot scheduled. We organized the exhibit, Origami - By Hand at the Cultural Arts Center, which opened at the beginning of August and which will close at the end of the month. The exhibit which was free to the public was located in the Loft Gallery. The space was smaller than what had been initially indicated but we dealt with it by limiting the invitations to a few participants. Tomoko Fuse sent several quilt pieces, David and Assia Brill sent an assortment of pieces, including Assia's Parjita Series, David's Cat, Mouse and Cheese as well as his Unstabile. Charles "Doc" Santee brought a variety of his moving creations. We were fortunate to have Robert Lang add several of his pieces, including a pair of Koi, his Walking Katydid and a large circular tessellation. And after the state fair had closed we added the blue ribbon winners from the origami competition. The exhibit closes shortly at the Cultural Arts Center but some of these pieces will be on display at the exhibit which is opening in September at the Paper Circle in Nelsonville, Ohio.

Ohio State Fair

The Ohio State Fair was very successful for us. We sponsored the Origami Division at the fair this year, and part of that sponsorship allowed us to do the "Artist in Residence" program. We were present on four days, for four hours each day, teaching and demonstrating origami to the public. We had dozens of people stop by and talk with us and ask about models, and learn to fold birds, boxes, wheels, and assorted models. In the competitions we did quite well. See the box below.

Capital Area Paper Shapers sponsored a new Origami Division at the Ohio State Fair this year. To encourage a variety of participants we created five classes within the division. They were Traditional, Floral, Tessellation, Geometric (Modular), and Original Design. Thirteen entrants submitted 42 models. We are very pleased we had so many entries and hope there will be even more next year. The 1st Place (Blue Ribbon) winners were: Nick Albright, Georgia Bishop, Nick Albright, Michael Weinstein, and Jon Tucker, respectively. Jon Tucker also received the Best in Show (Rosette) for his entry "Cockatrice".

Members of our group who won ribbons in the origami division this year include:Nick Albright 2 Blues,1 Red,3 Whites; Jon Tucker 1 Rosette, 1 Blue, 1 Red and 1 White; Michael Weinstein 1 Blue, 1 White. Members of our group who won ribbons for origami entries in other divisions this year include: Monica Salisbury 4 Blues, 2 Reds, 2 Whites. And finally members who won ribbons this year for entries which were not origami include: Monica Salisbury 1 Red for Decorated Frame with Picture; and Merida Weinstein 1 Blue and 3 White in the Knitting Division.

Those members who participated but did not take a ribbon home are: Joe Damico, Julia Elek, Tim Tucker, and Drake Williams. We are proud of each and every member's participation and look forward to next year.

 

We had such a good time at the fair that we're all looking forward to doing it again next year.

CenterFold Origami Convention, August 20 - 22, 2010

CenterFold was held on August 20th and closed on August 22nd. We had about 165 paid participants and the feed back indicates that people had a good time. Our guests, David Brill and Tomoko Fuse pitched in teaching classes and signing autographs as well as posing for pictures. Other author/artists who attended include Robert J. Lang, John Montroll, Mette Pederson, and Michael Weinstein. Everyone was friendly and eager and helpful. It was a wonderful environment in which to fold and learn. We hope to see people return next year, and maybe they'll bring some friends with them.

Hospital Activity Kits

The Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus closed the doors some months back, to outsiders coming in to teach the children. Due to the H1N1 virus they were limiting visitiation and hopefully the spread of the virus. CAPS had made a practice of visiting the hospital to teach the children origami. Because we weren't allowed in to teach origami we came up with the hospital kits, for the activity cart. The kit is a set of directions for an origami model and several sheets of paper to fold the model which are packaged in a baggie. The children can take as many as they like from the activity cart. The kits have been a real hit.

Thanks to volunteers at the convention we have several hundred more kits to donate. I don't have a list of who all was working on the kits, but I want to thank each one of them for their efforts on this project. They worked for hours assembling kits until they had used all the supplies we had on hand. I also want to add my thanks to Robert Lang and Gilad Aharoni for granting us permission to use their diagrams for the the activity kits. It's a wonderful thing they've done and I know the children will appreciate it. Thank you all.

September

Paper Circle Exhibit

The CAPS exhibit will be installed part way through September. The opening will be the final Friday in September. Please check the Paper Circle's web site for information regarding their hours and schedule.

John Scully and Monica Salisbury were on NBC Today show Sunday Oct 11 to show some origami and discuss the exhibit in Nelsonville.

 

Paper Circle Origami Workshop

The workshop will be geared for novice folders. We are still planning what will be covered in the workshop. We want to give people an opportunity to try wet folding and thus utilize the Paper Circle's newest paper, O-gami. This new wet folding paper is available from the Paper Circle's web site, or phone them directly. It you've been looking for wet folding paper, look no further. This paper is unequaled. And it's available in a wide assortment of colors.

December

Holiday Ornament Donation

The last few years we've made ornaments for the children at the hospital. We plan to make ornaments again this year.

 

2009

March

Origami In Ohio

Origami In Ohio is CAPS exhibit which is being hosted by the Paper Circle in Nelsonville, Ohio. The exhibit opened March 27th and includes works by Nick Albright, Alice Bellagh, Jennifer Cline, Anne Roberts, Monica Salisbury, Jon Tucker, Merida and Dr. Michael Weinstein, and Christopehr Welsh. The exhibit will close May 19th. Please call or check the gallery website for their hours. Paper Circle. Take a peak at the exhibit in this video which was posted on You Tube. It's in two parts. Click here for Part One. Click here for Part Two

Newspaper Clipping

We were fortunate that Mr. Bill Mayr of the Columbus Dispatch interviewed the participants in "Origami In Ohio" and wrote a very nice article about the exhibit which included some photographs of our origami models. The article appeared in the Weekender section of the Thursday, March 26th, 2009 edition of the Columbus Dispatch.

Columbus Dispatch Weekender Article

May

Marcon

Marcon is a Multiple Alternative Realities Convention which is in its 44th year. This is the second year that CAPS participated at MARCON and it was thoroughly enjoyable and quite successful. We gave three workshops during the convention: Friday night at 7pm, Saturday afternoon at 1pm, and Sunday morning at 11:30am. Each of the workshops was well attended and participants showed real interest in folding. We taught the traditional masu, lid and divider, as well as Yoshizawa's Dragon, a modified Neale's Dragon and on Sunday we did several modulars among them a Sonobe cube which we fit into Lewis's (Spinner) Gyroscope, and Pedersen's box Wreath. In addition to the workshops CAPS had a number of members who participated in the Art Show, with a few members garnering some sales. We may have gained members for CAPS as a result. It was a great experience and we hope to return next year. If you'd like to see some of what goes on at Marcon take a look at the video links below. The two part video is on You Tube. We were unable to get any photos of the Art Show due to restricitions on cameras. But, you can at least see some of the variety of activities and people you might meet. Marcon 44 Part 1. Marcon 44 Part 2

June

OUSA National Convention 2009

Origami USA has scheduled this years national convention for June 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th and 30th. Accommodations are available at the FIT. Registration for the dorms is due on May 30th. Registration for the convention is due May 30th as well. Attendance price ranges from $35 to $160. This years guests of honor are Carmen Sprung and David Brill. Please check out OUSA's website for details. Origami USA.

July

Westerville Public Library

We'll have a display of various models at the library in July, 2009. Westerville Public Library.

August

Ohio State Fair

The Ohio State Fair opens July 29th and runs through August 9th, 2009. Once again members of Capital Area Paper Shapers will be participating in the competition in the Creative Arts Division. It's a good way to increase interest in origami by displaying work which will be seen by thousands of people. Ohio State Fair.

Ohio State Fair Awards

A number of CAPS members participated in the 2009 Ohio State Fair and were fortunate enough to win a number of awards with origami entries. There is only one origami class in the Other Crafts Division of the Creative Arts Competition but origami pieces were entered in non-origami classes to compete against other entries. CAPS members won a total of 14 ribbons, 10 of those for origami entries. Jon Tucker received a Red Ribbon for his Holiday Angel Tree Topper, Michael Weinstein received a Red Ribbon for his Jewelry Bead entry and a Red Ribbon for his Hannukah Decoration. Merida Weinstein received a Blue Ribbon for her Jewelry Bead entry and White Ribbon for her Hannukah Decoration. Monica Salisbury received a Red Ribbon for her Box with Lid, a White Ribbon for her Holiday Table Centerpiece (not floral), a Red Ribbon for her Holiday Wreath, a White Ribbon for her Recycled Materials entry, a Red Ribbon for her Jewelry Textiles Other entry. We are very proud of the accomplishments of these members and hope this will further inspire others to participate in the art of origami.

September

Nationwide Childrens Hospital

Members of CAPS visited the 4th floor playroom at the hospital on September 23rd. We had a number of children join us as well as a few parents. We folded a jumping frog in two sizes, a penguin, a fox and a flat square unit cube. They finished up with quite a few models. The children enjoyed themselves; they seem to appreciate the distraction. Initially we were scheduled to do another visit in November but the hospital had to restrict visitors due to the increased risk of cold and flu this season. Hopefully, these restrictions will be lifted in the spring.

As a result of the visitors restrictions at Nationwide Childrens Hospital we were asked to contribute some materials for activities for the children. We were pleased to help and managed to assemble 124 origami activity kits which we hope will provide some relief from the tedium of being hospitalized.

November

Granville Public Library

In the years since CAPS was started we've done a variety of presentations and workshops, but had never done one at the Granville Public Library. On Wednesday, November 4th, CAPS members presented a free 90 minute workshop. The attendance was quite good, particularly for a weekday, and early afternoon, 3pm. The participants, folded jumping frog, large and small, then Sonobe Cube, and finally chinese wheel. The last model was folded in small group because of the number of modules required and the limited amount of time which was available. The librarian told me the presentation really stimulated interest in their origami books. What more could we ask for? For more information about the Granville Public Library's schedule please check their web site.

Community Cinema

On November 30th, Dr. Michael Weinstein, and Monica Salisbury will participate in a panel discussion along with several other members of the Columbus Community as part of the Community Cinema program. Columbus is one of the 50 cities nationwide which will host panel discussions following screenings of independent films which are part of this program. The idea is to stimulate interest and discussion in the various topics featured in these films. The film which will be screened on November 30th is Vanessa Gould's documentary on origami, Between The Folds. The program will take place at McPherson Laboratory, Room 1015, on the Columbus Campus of The Ohio State University, beginning at 4pm and ending at 6pm. For a schedule of films and cities please go to Independent Lens' web site.

December

Between The Folds

Vanessa Gould's documentary will air on PBS. Due to conflicts at the various stations the time and date has changed from city to city. Check your local listings. As of December 1st,2009 these are the current listings for the following Ohio Stations:

Holiday Ornament Donation

Once again, as part of our community outreach program, Capital Area Paper Shapers made a holiday ornament donation to Nationwide Childrens Hospital. Last year we managed to make 5 dozen ornaments and this year we folded 4 dozen ornaments which were presented to the hospital on December 22nd along with the added donation of another 121 activity kits for the children.