A consortium of four downtown businesses – Owen Sound Artists' Co-op, Grey Gallery, The Ginger Press and Intersections WOOD Studio & Gallery – are working together to create a multi-venue weekend experience featuring Japanese handmade papers.

Washi Weekend, September 28-30, will include workshops, demonstrations and exhibitions at all four locations as well as a lecture and pop-up shop with a wide variety of washi papers. "We have a lot of artists who use our specialty papers in the Owen Sound area," says Paula Huisman, Project Coordinator for the Japanese Paper Place in Toronto. "When I approached them about hosting a pop-up shop, they ran with the idea and the result is Washi Weekend. I am really excited to see what everyone is doing with these fabulous papers, and the workshops will provide both beginners and experts with new ideas and techniques."

Nine workshops on various aspects of making, folding, painting on and stitching handmade papers will be led by local and visiting renowned experts: Shoji Lantern Workshop with Pierre Rousseau at Intersections (519-371-4998); Origami Mini Book, and Lotus Flower Workshops with Robert Wu, and Asian Landscape Painting with Raquell Yang at Grey Gallery (226-664-2776); Hand Stitching Washi, and Making Paper Tough with Sigrid Blohm, Papermaking with Iris Lucas, and Printmaking with Tim Dyck at The Owen Sound Artists' Co-op (519-371-0479); and Washi Paint-Along with Billy Goodkat at The Ginger Press (519-376-4233).

In addition, Nancy Jacobi, founder of the Japanese Paper Place, will give a talk on the history, production methods, features and uses of traditional and contemporary washi and The Japanese Paper Pop Up shop will have a variety of Japanese papers available for sale (both at The Ginger Press).

For more information on the workshops, visit the Washi Weekend event page on Facebook (http://bit.ly/washiwknd) or call The Ginger Press at (519) 376-4233. To register for the workshops, contact the host venue.

source: media release, The Ginger Press