Papermaking and letterpress printing have a long and respected tradition in the United States as an effective form of political and artistic expression. Together they played an integral role during the American revolution in disseminating the many radically new ideas that were emerging. Two hundred years later, Americans still debate whether liberties fought for and won are best honored with passive approval or with an active exercise of those rights. The paper program at Arizona State University (ASU) was begun in the mid 1970s by author and then Dean of the College of Fine Arts, Jules Heller. In the years since those early beginnings, John Risseeuw has established the University's fine art press, Pyracantha Press, and teaches courses that relate to book arts, including papermaking. Recently, the Press published a broadside commemorating the bicentennial of the Bill of Rights. "The idea for the piece developed out of pure frustration," exclaims Dan Mayer, printer to the Press. "The exercise of individual rights seems to be challenged more and more, with rhetoric contorting rights into a political issue. Pyracantha Press sporadically commemorates special occasions with a broadside and the upcoming anniversary seemed an appropriate time to issue a new one." Honoring the efforts of patriotic colonial Americans who saved rags for papermakers to spread radical new ideas, these contemporary papermakers memorialize those ideas through the content of the paper itself. "Paper is often a substrate that is present but does not contribute to the content or substance of the artwork. It was pleasant to be involved in a piece where the paper and its content were integral to the complexity of the artwork," says Chuck Brownson of Ocotillo Arts and Papermill. "Chuck has called this paper `symbolic paper'," explains Risseeuw, now director of the Press. "Using flags and blue jeans makes the paper a unified whole with the content of the Bill of Rights." The reference to current political dialogue concerning free speech and the sanctity of the American flag are clear and yet unthreatening. The piece has a complexity that grew from its collaborative beginnings. Collaboration has become second nature for Mayer and Risseeuw. Both have frequently worked in the multi-media collaborations of ASU's Visual Arts Research Studios, which includes the Pyracantha Press. They recognize that collaborating with other artists and scholars may slow down a project, but they are also aware that the result is worth the extra time and work. Outsiders bring fresh and diverse viewpoints that help recognize strengths and weaknesses in a project. Talking through the creative process helps clarify ideas and allows the participants to define the best solutions. Risseeuw and Mayer are quick to adapt to new collaborators in the relaxed atmosphere of the press. Mayer passed his idea for a broadside commemorating the Bill of Rights anniversary to Risseeuw, who almost immediately enrolled David Kader from the ASU School of Law into the project. Through a series of discussions the project grew into a broadside about the thirty freedoms within the Bill of Rights' ten amendments. Some of the freedoms have been strengthened over the years by the Supreme Court and some have been dramatically weakened by court rulings. It quickly became clear that interpreting the strengths and weaknesses of those thirty freedoms might be perceived as arbitrary and without consensus. So the collaborators reestablished for themselves that in this historic document, "the first five words from two hundred years ago are still the most important," according to Risseeuw. Soon intensive work began as the project moved closer to a physical form, with each participant responsible for specific components. Brownson's papermill was used so as not to interfere with students' projects at the ASU mill. Brownson has an affinity for the approach to paper at Pyracantha Press and welcomed the chance to make paper for letterpress, which was a new experience for him. Mayer and Risseeuw both have extensive experience with making handmade paper for their own letterpress projects, as well as for Pyracantha. In past projects, the fiber they have used for making paper often has a direct relationship to what is being printed on it. When Pyracantha published The Warrington Poems by Alberto Rios, used clothing from the poet went into the pulp for the text paper. As a result, the book is both by and of Alberto Rios. When Risseeuw published a broadside about his family's farm, he made the paper entirely from fibers found on the farm: hemp ropes, sisal binder twine, and jute feed sacks. For the Bill of Rights broadside, the participants gathered together over a long weekend to cut American flags and blue jeans into squares for the beater. "I like the idea of using blue jeans to represent the common working person in this country, as well as that romantic remembrance of my youth, the counter-culture, and the protest movement, which seem to be defined by blue jeans," explains Risseeuw. The flags and blue jeans became "holy and unholy symbols coming together in this paper." Risseeuw researched the typeface used for the first printed version of the Congressional resolution. He chose Plantin as the typeface most similar to what was used in 1791. Likewise, the calligraphy by Nancy Pilgrim, produced in consultation with Risseeuw and Mayer, reflects the copperplate style found in the engrossed original now held in the National Archives. After several refinements, the carefully lettered opening and closing phrases ("Congress shall make no law" and "nor shall any State") were made into relief photo engravings for letterpress printing. After the type was composition cast, Mayer reset and shaped the text to conform to the calligraphy. He then mixed inks for the blue stars, red amendment numbers, black text, dark gray calligraphy, and the colophon. The four natural deckles on the paper presented a challenge to the precision of printing. With extremely close registration required by the design, a mylar overlay registration was used for three of the five press runs. This system avoids having to cut off one or more deckles to provide a straight registration guide edge. The result of all of this collaboration, consideration, and work is an exquisite commemorative broadside that serves to remind us of the Bill of Rights and the liberties we tend to take for granted. The piece also actively reminds us that it is equally important to occasionally exercise and demonstrate those rights so that they are truly appreciated.

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