To find out more about the workshops and the artist behind them, we spoke with workshop facilitator (and avid Papergirl) Phyllis Schwartz.
Read on to find out more about Phyllis and what you can expect at the workshops.
Phyllis Schwartz: Since the project began, in 2011.
PG: Why are you involved in the project? What attracted you to Papergirl?
PS: I like the idea of artwork in circulation. I also like the way Papergirl brings together like-minded artists who are committed to the art of giving. The idea of a “message in a bottle” fascinates me. Who knows where my artwork might come to rest (temporarily or permanently) and what connections it might make.
PG: What is photography without a camera? What can workshop attendees expect?
PS: Photography sans camera goes back to the early botanists who were searching for ways of documenting their field work rapidly; they used what has become the blueprinting process and eventually experimented with other chemistry that would make paper photo-sensitive.
This workshop will make photograms of plant materials and discover how plant materials will leave marks and traces on photosensitive paper; the work will look like colourful x-rays.
In this hands-on workshop, we will participate in the entire process, beginning with the composition in the first workshop and the development process in the second workshop. Participants will have an opportunity to process three fibre prints.
PS: I am excited about the unknown and what another person might discover and how the ideas will be shared. I am excited about working with people in learning mode.
PG: Why do you think it is important to engage the community in art-making?
PS: A community of art making is as old as humanity; gathering to make art together is a cross-cultural practice. In highly urban and industrialized societies, it is much more difficult for people to gather over art-making. I am grateful that the Roundhouse values the community of art making and offers programmes that bring together the curious and the talented and the generous so that our communities become culturally richer and our lives just a bit fuller.
Phyllis Schwartz is a multi-disciplinary artist who works in photography, ceramics and publishing. Her work at Emily Carr University consolidated these interests with a concentration in photography. She uses photography to investigate and record what eludes the eye. As a visual artist, she seeks detail, texture, and poetic elements. Her photography has been installed, exhibited and published locally, across Canada and internationally; her works are in both public and private collections. Photography by Phyllis Schwartz is experimental. She is one of the few contemporary artists making artwork using the lumen print process. These impressions of the west coast plant life hover on the cusp of abstract imagery and poetry. She was the recipient of the Canon Photography Award. Currently, she is an Artist in Residence for the Vancouver School Board and ArtStarts. She also volunteers as an event photographer for the Vancouver Ballet Society, the Children's Hospital Child Run and CARFAC-BC.
Registration for the workshop can be made online here, by coming to the Roundhouse front desk or by calling in to the Roundhouse front desk. The total cost for both workshops is $21. Materials with be provided. Must attend both workshops.