Join us for a brief lecture “Forbidden Paper Making of the Spanish Colonies” and then learn the basics of making paper by hand.
Friday, October 11th
Activities start at 7:00 P.M.
While the Spanish were the first to print books and make paper in the Americas, “something” happened. No paper made in Spanish America exists, those papermills disappeared, while the British not only caught up, but were making paper and books everywhere they could.
Perhaps some papermaking happened “underground”, as the Spanish authorities were generally not friendly of such things (because tariffs, did you know?) The Jesuit Missions in the Paraguay “might” have made paper in the 1720s, there is some curious evidence discovered in Austin, of all places.
A brief presentation about some facts of history, and why that “mystery” matters even today, especially today, will be followed by a hands-on workshop where participants get to make by hand a sheet of paper to take home that looks like it was made in 1724.
Yama Ploskonka is catching up on life as he chose a few years ago to become a papermaker when he grows up. He was a teacher, computer and robotic geek besides much else in many places, and generally spends his time now sharing ways of making things before those skills gets lost and forgotten. Since 2016 he started Papel Texano in Austin, to encourage people to make paper and especially to use handmade paper for prints and books, like it had been for hundreds of years