The paper making workshop was led by Laura Brown, of the Massachusetts College of Art and Susan Norlander, of the Orchard School. Participants learned the history and craft of paper making, and could take home their own handcrafted paper.

The first substance like paper dates from around 4000 B.C. when the ancient Egyptians wove a mat of reeds, then pounded them together into a thin sheet known as papyrus, which is the origin of our word "paper."

Later, around the 1st century A.D., Chinese invented paper as we know it today.

A wide variety of beautiful and unusual paper samples on loan from the Massachusetts College of Art collection. Paper can be made from any plant material.

Susan Norlander and Laurie Macrae beat the Japanese Kozo fibers into a pulp. Pulp can be also made with recycled paper or cotton linters, which are ready-made sheets used specifically for paper making.

Supplies needed to make paper: A plastic dishpan or other kind of tub, blender, buckets, mold and deckle, strainer, white felt squares, kitchen cloths or interfacing (not the iron-on kind), and a place where water spills won't matter. We learned about making two kinds of paper, one from cotton fibers, and the other from Kozo.

An example of paper made from Kozo fibers, a bundle of which are shown next to it. Kozo is a bark fiber from the Mulberry tree, traditionally used in Japanese paper making.

Laura explains the various kinds of papers to Doug Lukian.

Here, Laura adds mucilage to the Kozo mixture to help the fibers coalesce.

Next, Laura uses a screened frame to dip into the pulp mixture; she pulls it straight up out of the liquid, and gently shakes it back and forth and side to side, to let the water drain back through the grid. The gentle motion helps the fibers settle and mesh together.

She then gently rolls the wet paper off the screen or bamboo mat.