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Papermaking from Phragmites Plant Fiber at Wellesley College

with Professor Katherine M. Ruffin

Join us for a talk from a professor on how her students are turning plants on their campus into useful, handmade paper

Papermaking at Wellesley College is part of the haptic, collaborative, and experiential learning that distinguishes the liberal arts. Beginning in 2017-18, a plant-based papermaking project has been conducted with grant funding from the college’s Paulson Ecology of Place Initiative, which supports the integration of the landscape into the curriculum. Phragmites communis, or the common reed, is harvested from the meadow in front of the Science Center on the Wellesley campus. Students then cook and beat the fiber and then form sheets of handmade paper as part of class sessions focused on papermaking. Students are able to engage in a collaborative papermaking process, learn about the use of different raw materials and the evolution of processes for papermaking throughout history, consider the environmental impact of papermaking, develop a greater awareness of plants and landscapes both on and off campus, and ask critical questions about resource use and sustainability. 

Presenter Bio:

Katherine M. Ruffin is the Director of Book Studies Program & Lecturer in Art at Wellesley College. Katherine teaches history of the book at the School of Library and Information Science at Simmons University and the history of 19th and 20th century typography and printing history at Rare Book School at the University of Virginia. She holds an AB in Philosophy from Bryn Mawr College, an MFA in Book Arts from the University

For ages 18+. Registration is required. Any questions, please reach out to Michaela at mcalderwood@minlib.net.

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