Introduction to Papermaking with Recycled Materials

Instructor: Lily Massee

Dates: Friday, Saturday & Sunday, July 10, 11 & 12, 2026

Time: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Ages: 18+

Members: $193.50

Non-Members: $215

(Registration deadline: July 7)

Description:

This introductory workshop will provide a foundation on which to start your papermaking journey and continue creating at home. Participants will be guided step-by-step through the construction of their own mould and deckle, and the process of papermaking using recycled paper-based materials. We will begin with the basic skills of making paper, preparing pulp and forming sheets. Building upon this, we will introduce techniques allowing you to expand your experimentation. You’ll learn about coloring paper, embossing (creating relief images or designs in paper), changing texture through couching on alternative surfaces, embedding (sandwiching materials between sheets), and inclusions (adding small objects, flowers, leaves, glitter, or colored pieces of paper). By the end of the workshop, participants will have created a series of handmade papers and have their own mould and deckle to continue using for future papermaking projects at home.

Materials:

Provided by participants:

• Paper scraps (newspaper, junk mail, printed paper, paper bags old notebook paper etc.)

• Apron and clothes you don't mind getting wet

Instructor Bio:

Lily Massee is a mixed-media artist based in the Berkshire Hills of Northwestern Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Lily studied Visual Art at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA). During this time, she was awarded Finalist in Photography from the National YoungArts Competition. She went on to receive her bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Fine Art and Social Ecology from Sarah Lawrence College in 2022. Lily has since been cultivating her practice both at home and around the world. She has attended the Museum of Loss and Renewal’s Air, Sea, and Soil: MICRO MACRO Group Residency in Orkney, Scotland; Archival Bootcamp’s Nomadic Artist Residency in Valencia, Spain; Art Farm’s Artist and Writer Residency in Nebraska, USA; La Wayaka Current’s Arts & Ecology Research and Residency Program in the Atacama Desert, Chile; and La Ceiba Grafica’s Learning Residency in Coatepec, Mexico. Her art explores the tensions between permanence and impermanence in landscape, memory, and the body.

Instructor's website: https://lilymassee.com

All workshops are held at the Five Points Arts Center, 855 University Drive

Workshops may be cancelled due to low enrollment if a minimum number of participants are not met. Registrants will be notified in advance and a refund or credit will be arranged (see workshop polices below for details).

Workshop Policies: Please review the terms of our workshop policies here