The Chicago 77: A Papermaking Workshop

Margaret Mahan and Drew Matott conduct a one-day papermaking workshop at Columbia College Chicago in conjunction with the Poetry Foundation's Chicago 77 project, a 77-line poem comprised of found text and objects from each of Chicago’s 77 community areas which will be assembled into a handmade book. Mahan and Matott will present on the history of papermaking and their international work with Peace Paper Project using papermaking as a vehicle for social action and art therapy. 

Participants in the workshop are encouraged to share their personal stories by bringing in an article of clothing to be pulped into paper. In addition, participants are invited to contribute a piece from that clothing for inclusion in the paper for The Chicago 77.

The Chicago 77 is commissioned by the Poetry Foundation and created by four Chicago poets and artists: Fatimah Asghar, Krista Franklin, Fo Wilson, and Jamila Woods. It will be printed in a single edition on handmade paper created by Margaret Mahan and Drew Matott. The Chicago 77 was conceived of by the Poetry Foundation in collaboration with Nick Dubois, in the spirit of Southbank Centre’s autograph edition of The World Record.

Founded and programmed by students, faculty, and staff in the Graduate Program in Interdisciplinary Book and Paper Arts, the Papermaker's Garden is also a space for collaborative, cross-disciplinary educational opportunities and site-specific art projects.
Located in the heart of the Columbia College Chicago South Loop campus, two blocks from the Center for Book and Paper Arts, the Papermaker's Garden contributes to Columbia College Chicago’s sustainability initiatives, academic curriculum and engagement with the South Loop neighborhood.