What We Do

Hand Papermaking’s print and online publications chronicle the finest work in the field, while advancing the scholarship and production of handmade paper and paper art.

Every year since 1986, we have published two biannual issues of Hand Papermaking magazine, resulting in a unique 35-year repository of information and inspiration on the art and craft of hand papermaking. Each issue features articles on a variety of topics within the field, including: contemporary artistic approaches, craft techniques, historical topics, international developments, and educational initiatives. Articles are written by experts in the field and by notable practitioners who offer fresh and diverse perspectives. Each magazine includes at least one, and often two or three, unique samples of handmade paper.

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Hand Papermaking Newsletter is published quarterly as a clearinghouse of information on paper and paper-related happenings. The newsletter features expert columnists writing on paper history and paper conservation, providing field reports, and offering information on teaching and studying hand papermaking. It also includes timely listings for national and international exhibitions, lectures, workshops, and miscellaneous events; and presents classified and display ads for various paper supplies and services.

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In addition to the magazine and newsletter, Hand Papermaking also produces a series of limited-edition portfolios of handmade papers. Since 1994, we have published thirteen portfolios featuring handmade paper produced by more than 220 leading contemporary paper artists. These portfolios, which have been collected by prominent paper collectors and renowned institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Yale University, and the Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking (among many others), serve as repositories of knowledge on paper decoration, papermaking with a wide range of materials, paper manipulation, and art-making with paper. 

Other activities to help fund Hand Papermaking’s publishing efforts include annual auctions of handmade papers, papermaking tools and equipment, and paper art, as well as the annual year-end broadside, given as a gift to year-end donors. The broadsides are a collaborative effort between papermaker, printmaker, and poet, and are produced in limited, numbered editions. These initiatives support the organization, even as they are an enjoyable way to connect community members.

In 2020, Hand Papermaking launched its Black Writers Fellowship program in solidarity with the Movement for Black Lives as a concrete step to counteract social inequities and to fulfill our role as a journal of record that truly reflects the full breadth of work in our field. The Fellowship program supports Black writers through a monetary award, mentorship with the Hand Papermaking editor and professionals in the field, and publication of their article.

Hand Papermaking also has begun presenting free live online events featuring papermaking artists and hosted by the magazine and newsletter editors, and presented to an international audience.