Papercutting on Stage: Artist Books as Kamishibai or Paper Theaters

Live from NYC

Beatrice Coron is back for another hands-on session. On Saturday May 15th at 11AM EST, we'll learn 3D storytelling with paper theaters or artist books. 

Masking and revealing is essential to story telling. We will play with this idea to create a stage in form of a tunnel book, multi-layers card or artist book. Looking at historical forms of Japanese and Victorian paper theaters, we will explore new ways to tell a story with cut papers. Participants will learn different papercutting techniques and how to design a stage for a story to develop. Stop animation, video inclusion, and live performance will be discussed. 

Tips, tricks and resources will be provided. All levels of experience are welcome. This session is meant to inspire with lecture and hands-on examples. We'll have time to work on our paper stories, get feedback, and finalize after the session.

If you are not in EST time zone, be sure to convert the time.

What you'll need

  • Cutting mat
  • Exacto knife, blades 11
  • Binder board or cardboard
  • Tape
  • Glue
  • Stapler
  • US letter-size paper and cardstock
  • Recycled papers (magazines, cereal boxes, small misc. product boxes)

Optional:

  • Art supplies
  • Thread & needle


How to join

We'll be hosting this VAWAA Online on Zoom. You will receive the link and details to join via email 1 day and again 30 mins before it begins.


About Béatrice

A native to France, Béatrice reinvented herself as an artist in New York 1985, after extensive traveling and many odd jobs. Her work explores visual storytelling through the technique of papercutting, drawing with a blade to create empty and full shapes that cast shadows. She often translates her bold and elegant hand-cut designs to metal, glass or stone to create public art. Bridging the gap between old tradition and new technology, Béatrice pioneers a striking new medium, that catches the eye and has transformed subways, schools and airports. Her work can be seen in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Getty and the Walker Art Center. 

Read more: Béatrice Coron Lets Curiosity and Creative Intuition Take the Lead

Watch: TED Talk “Stories Cut From Paper”


Reviews

"Beatrice is a wonderful engaging instructor. I was sorry when the class was over and looking forward to attending more of her workshops." - Patti

"I loved that Beatrice took us through the history of paper cutting. She was well organized, her presentation was thoughtful and clear." - Anne

"Brilliant class from beginning to end." - Leslie

"Fantastic artist and work and very helpful." - Elena

"Lovely to learn some of the historical context of paper cutting. Great to see some of the other attendees work." - Sarah

"Beatrice was quite inspirational and so much fun, and I really enjoyed learning more about a technique that is fairly new and different for me, and I love how versatile it is!" - Meryl Ann

"This was an excellent class. Beatrice is a superb teacher, with just enough explanation and presentation. Her slides were super interesting and helpful. My imagination is certainly sparked with the possibilities to include these techniques in my art." - Jennifer

"Beatrice is an amazing artist who shares her ideas and techniques freely. This was a terrific session. Her first presentation placing papercutting in historical context with examples from different cultures was fascinating." - Leah

"Beatrice provided excellent examples and was very clear in her directions. Great class!" - Merrilee


Sessions are ticketed to support artists, makers and our small team. If you’re experiencing financial hardship, please reach out. We may have a generous participant who has paid it forward. We would ask that you pay the love forward by sharing online sessions with friends.

Featured photo: Courtesy of the artist