Peace Paper Project Returns to WSU Tri-Cities

The Peace Paper Project is an international community-arts initiative that utilizes traditional papermaking as a form of trauma therapy, social engagement, and community activism.

WSU Tri-Cities is proud to host the third annual visit of the Peace Paper Project with three virtual workshops on November 5, 12, and 19, 2020.

Master papermaker Drew Matott will hold a public lecture from 12:10 to 1 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5. His lecture is part of the WSU Common Reading Program, and this year’s book Born A Crime. There is no cost to attend and will be available to view via Zoom.

Matott and will also lead two free virtual workshops for WSU Tri-Cities students.

• Studio Tour and Demonstration on Nov. 12 at 12:10 to 1 p.m., via Zoom: Matott will share the process of selecting clothing that has personal and community significance, rendering the material into paper pulp cutting, and forming sheets of paper. Half of the presentation will focus on a DIY papermaking set up to show you how to make your own paper at home.
• Interactive Bookbinding Workshop on Nov. 19 at 12:10 to 1 p.m., via Zoom: Using handmade paper provided by the Peace Paper Project, you will walk through the process of some simple binding techniques.

Making a Positive Difference

Drew Matott, director of the Peace Paper Project, brought the program to WSU Tri-Cities in 2018 and 2019 where he worked with veterans, students of migrant farm working backgrounds and others who have dealt with trauma and loss, while also providing a positive outlet for those who want to learn a new craft. The project provides individuals a way to express and process their memories and experiences by means of hand papermaking and by preserving it in a physical work of art, he said.

“These workshops have been extremely wonderful and rewarding,” Matott said. “At first, people are hesitant and not sure what to do. Once they start cutting up the materials, it starts to transform. The first one is the scariest. The second one is much easier. And then finally, the material just becomes pulp.”

Matott has worked with thousands of people around the world, both those who are in the process of coping with trauma and also as a means to teach people how to earn a living from hand papermaking in poverty-stricken regions.

“The goal with the Peace Paper Project is to use papermaking to have a positive influence on people’s lives,” he said. “Whether it be helping people process things that are traumatic, or working with individuals in an effort to improve their lives, our goal is to make a positive difference.” Read more…

Watch WSU Tri-Cities Students Make Paper

For more information about the Peace Paper Project’s visit to WSU Tri-Cities, contact Jana Kay Lunstad, Director of Enrollment & Campus Registrar.