Artists present papermaking workshop to connect veterans, civilians

North Central College’s art department will host the Combat Paper Project, an artistic collaboration initiated and presented by artists Drew Cameron and Drew Matott that involves veterans, artists and academic institutions.

Based out of art studios throughout the country, the Combat Paper Project comes to North Central’s studios and campus on Tuesday, Oct. 30. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in room 17 at Meiley-Swallow Hall, Cameron and Matott will demonstrate their project utilizing papermaking workshops to help veterans reconcile and share their personal experiences.

Veterans use their uniforms worn in combat to create cathartic works of art. The uniforms are cut up, beaten into a pulp and formed into sheets of paper. Veterans use the transformative process of papermaking to reclaim their uniform as art and begin to embrace their experiences in the military.

The campus community is invited to view this free interactive demonstration throughout the day, interact with and hear the artists discuss their methods and applications of the craft. This collaborative effort between civilians and veterans is a vehicle for initiating much-needed conversations about shared responsibilities to the returned veteran and the devastating effects of warfare.

Visit combatpaper.org for photos and more information about Combat Paper Project. For more information about this event contact Christine Rabenold, assistant professor of art and student art gallery director, at cmrabenold@noctrl.edu or 630-637-5543.