During February 2018 Jane Ingram Allen will work in Sacramento, California, as an artist-in-residence at Natomas Charter School, Performing and Fine Arts Academy, to create an outdoor public art installation “Guns into Flowers” that will raise awareness about gun violence and possibilities for change. The “Guns into Flowers” project will be installed in a park or other sunny outdoor spot and consist of a handmade paper quilt with seeds for wildflowers in the pulp to transform over time into living blooming wildflowers. The handmade paper quilt will have multiple quilt blocks featuring guns in various shapes and colors. The quilt blocks will be made with stencils in the handmade paper sheet-forming process and individualized by each participant. The “Guns into Flowers” handmade paper quilt will be installed on a raised “flower bed” about 8 feet x 10 feet x 8 inches high with a headboard and footboard woven of local branches. The handmade paper quilt will gradually dissolve into mulch over several months as the wildflower seeds begin to sprout and grow. The installation “Guns into Flowers” will transform over time to emphasize the natural cycle of life and working together to change our society and environment for the future.

Jane did a similar public art project “Living Quilt for Newnan” in August 2017, in
Newnan, Georgia, during a 3-week artist-in-residency at Newnan Art Rez
(www.newnanartists.org) working with community participants and the City of Newnan. For more information about the “Living Quilt for Newnan” project see the artist’s Blog posts at https://janeingramallen.wordpress.com/2017/08/ and
https://janeingramallen.wordpress.com/2017/09/

This is a view of the “Living Quilt for Newnan” installed on a raised “flower bed” with a
headboard and footboard woven of local branches.

Living Quilt for Newnan, installed on 8/29/2017

The handmade paper quilt is dissolving and the wildflowers growing on Sept.29, 2017.

The first blooms occurred in early November 2017.

This photo shows the “Living Quilt for Newnan” in May 2018 blooming again after the winter.

Jane has received a grant to support the “Guns into Flowers” art project
from the Arts Engagement Foundation of Kansas City, and Natomas Charter School will be matching the grant and hosting the project in Sacramento. Keep watching this Blog for more posts about the “Guns into Flowers” project in Sacramento.

Here is the announcement about classes in hand papermaking that I am offering this Fall in my Santa Rosa studio.

Fall 2018 Papermaking Art Workshops  with Jane Ingram Allen 

at The Studio Santa Rosa, 3840 Finley Ave., Santa Rosa, CA, Building 32, Studio 107

Why take a Papermaking Workshop?

• Create your own unique handmade paper art and explore the possibilities of a new media.
• Experience the zenof hand papermaking.
• Learn about the unique qualities of different plant fibers useful for papermaking.
• Make the handmade paper itself the finished work, or combine it with printmaking, painting, drawing, bookmaking, collage, sculpture, basketry, weaving, etc.

About the Workshops:

• intimate setting; class size limited to 4 people.
• Beginners and experienced papermakers welcome.
• Equipment and materials provided.
• Discounts Available: $10 off for taking a 2^ndworkshop; $10 off for recommending a friend who signs up for a workshop.
• Coffee and tea provided. Bring your own lunch.
• Questions: 857-234-2432 or contact by email at info@janeingramallen.com

About the Instructor: 

• Award winning international artist and hand papermaking expert with 40 years of experience.
• Papermaking teacher and resident artist in Japan, Taiwan, China, Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia, Turkey, Tanzania, France, England, Brazil, and the US. Fulbright Scholar Award artist in Taiwan and Fulbright Specialist artist in Turkey.
• Trained in traditional Japanese papermaking in Japan, and taught papermaking while living in Taiwan for 8 plus years.
• Former Art professor at SUNY, Morrisville, NY, and College of St. Rose, Albany, NY. Former textile Arts instructor at Foothill College and Canada College.
• Taught papermaking workshops in US at Women’s Studio Workshop, Peter’s Valley School of Crafts, Morgan Conservancy, Sitka Center for Art & Ecology, Queens Botanical Garden, Brookfield Craft Center, Mass Audubon and others.
• For more information visit Jane’s Blog at https://janeingramallen.wordpress.comand her website at janeingramallen.com

Description of Fall 2018 Workshops at Jane Ingram Allen’s Santa Rosa, CA, studio 

Introduction to Hand Papermaking:  Explore techniques of hand papermaking including sheet forming, pressing and drying as well as techniques of laminating, embedding and watermarking.  Learn how papermaking can be used for a variety of art creations and make an array of handmade papers using cotton, abaca and local plant fibers.

• Saturday, Sept. 29, 10AM to 4PM. Register by email to info@janeingramallen.comor phone 857-234-2432.  Register by sending a deposit of $50 by Sept. 26.
• Fee: $125 – Materials and equipment provided *

Papermaking for Printmakers:  Learn to make handmade with Western and Japanese techniques that can be used for letterpress printing and other printmaking to give unique qualities and special effects.  We will create paper sheets up to 11” x 17” using a variety of fibers that have unique textures and various natural colors.  Methods of beating, pressing, joining, drying and sizing the handmade paper sheets will also be covered. 

• Saturday, Oct. 6, 10AM to 4PM. Register by email to info@janeingramallen.comor phone 857-234-2432. Register by sending a deposit of $50 by Oct. 3.
• Fee: $125 – Materials and equipment provided.*

Papermaking for Fiber Artists:   Papermaking is just another way of using fibers!  Learn to make handmade paper from a variety of plant fibers and combine hand papermaking with various fiber art techniques, such as weaving, basketry, stitchery, quilting, crochet, spinning, etc.  We will create handmade paper and fiber art mixed media works using pulps made from abaca, mulberry, cotton, and other locally collected fiber plants.  Using two-dimensional and three-dimensional techniques and natural colors and textures from the various plant fibers, expand your horizons and discover new possibilities in fiber art.

• Saturday and Sunday, 10 and 11, 10AM to 4PM.  Register by email to info@janeingramallen.comor phone 857-234-2432. Register by sending $100 deposit by Oct. 17.
• Fee $200 – Materials and equipment provided.*

Japanese and Asian Papermaking:   Focus on Asian techniques and fibers.  Learn Japanese papermaking and other unique Asian techniques to create handmade papers from exotic plant fibers such as abaca (banana species), kozo (paper mulberry bark), lotka (Daphne bark) and local fibers that are Asian in origin.  Learn to use Jane’s sugeta (Japanese mold and deckle) as well as Western style molds to create Asian and Japanese papers that can be thin, almost transparent but very strong.  Watermarking, inclusions and other Asian-inspired techniques will be covered.

• Saturday, Nov. 1710AM to 4PM. Register by email to info@janeingramallen.comor phone 857-234-2432. Register by sending $50 deposit by Nov.14.
• Fee: $125 – Materials and equipment provided *

Papermaking Studio Rental:  Jane’s Papermaking Studio is available for your personal rental (weekdays or weekends) at a fee of $15/hour (minimum of 4 hours).  To rent the studio you are required to take at least one workshop with Jane and attend a special session with Jane about using the studio.  Jane will prepare materials and be there for consulting. You will have use of the studio space and Jane’s equipment.  Materials cost will depend on what pulp and other materials from Jane are used and will be discussed at the studio session.  Call Jane at 857-234-2432 for more information or email to info@janeingramallen.com

On Saturday and Sunday, July 28 & 29, students in my Papermaking with Collage and Mixed Media class created some great experimental artworks with dyed and natural colored pulps at my Santa Rosa studio. We used pulps made from abaca, old blue jeans, Sitka Sprue bark and mulberry bark (kozo). We had two days for this class, and the first day was mainly working with wet pulp, and the second with dried paper to create collage and mixed media constructions.
Here are photos of some of  the works made by the workshop participants, still in progress on the second day. The photos are taken by my husband Timothy S. Allen (allentimphotos2.wordpress.com

I will be offering more classes in papermaking and mixed media art at my Santa Rosa studio in Sept. – November. Check back here in a few days for the complete schedule of Fall 2018 classes. My studio is at Studio Santa Rosa, Bldg. 32, 3840 Wright Ave., Studio 107. Please email for more information: info@janeingramallen.com