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The World of Paper
A Global History of the Art & Industry of Papermaking
Photo courtesy of Jeffrey A. Kisling, and appears with his permission. See more at images on the IMCPL Flickr account.
“The World of Paper” is on display through January 10, 2010 at Central Library, 40 E. St. Clair St., in the Atrium, the South Display Hall and on each floor of the six-story tower. It is available for viewing during Central Library hours.
The exhibition tells the fascinating story behind the most ordinary, and most useful, of everyday objects – a sheet of paper. Cultural traditions, achievements and technical innovations in papermaking from countries throughout the world are showcased with more than 175 individual objects. It features art and artifacts from the Dard Hunter Collection as well as historic photographs and other material from the Robert C. Williams Paper Museum at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
The many highlights of the educational exhibit begin with pre-papers – rare tapa cloths from the South Pacific, Egyptian papyrus and historic British parchment documents. There is a great wooden Chinese papermaking vat and many antique papermaking tools, such as molds, deckles and brushes from Asia and Europe. Papermolds tell the story of early European and American papermaking.
The exhibit encompasses an array of decorative papers, including French marbled papers, Chinese tea chest papers, American paste papers and Japanese lace papers. The finely crafted limited edition books include a book on papermaking in Nepal. There are also many paper molds, brushes and early brass technical testing tools.
Contemporary artists who work with handmade paper are represented by sculpture, collage and a pop-up book. Perhaps the most spectacular section of the exhibition is the backlit watermark display, featuring exquisite commemorative portraits, artistic Asian watermarks, and designs used by American and European businesses.
“The World of Paper” is made possible through a grant from The Louise Lage Kirtland and Hugh C. Kirtland Endowment Fund, a fund of The Indianapolis Foundation.
