NEBA Field Trip
Thursday, May 4, 2023 on FAM’s Free First Thursday
It was an overcast Spring day for our field trip to Fitchburg Art Museum’s Paper Town exhibition which pays tribute to Fitchburg’s history of paper manufacturing.
Fred HC Lang – mirror, paper, LED light
Heidi Whitman – ink, gouache, acrylic, paper, canvas, string, and cast shadows
We were treated by a lovely welcome and discussion of the museum’s lobby artwork by Colleen Chambers, a visitor service associate. NEBA members – Sally Chapman, Cristina Hajosy, Sandra Hayes with her friend, Barry, Susan Leavey, Carolyn Letvin, and Stephanie Stigliano enjoyed the artworks that featured the amazing flexibility of paper.
Andrea Dezsö – tunnel books with cotton watercolor paper, linen thread, acrylic paint
May Babcock – artist-made paper from seaweed and abaca, fencing, wire
Their literature reads, “Inspired by the materiality of paper and the metamorphic quality of the papermaking process, Paper Town explores paper in pulp, cast, folded, and cut forms.”
Erik Demaine and Martin Demaine – watercolor paper, curved-crease folded
Michelle Samour – pigmented abaca handmade paper, Mother of Pearl acrylic inlays, gouache
Tory Fair – mixed media with handmade paper
Wendy Wahl – reused World Book and Encyclopedia Britannica pages
The Eagle Paper Machine is a functional, small-scale example of the machinery traditionally used in the pulp & paper industry. We were so fortunate that another exhibition visitor, Albert Gauthier from Winchendon, MA agreed to talk about the workings and difficulties he personally experienced with these machines. He was fascinating and seemed pleased that we were so focused and interested in his memories. CAN-AM Machinery, Inc. is still located in Fitchburg, continues to provide used equipment for the industry, and co-sponsored this exhibition. This little machine is occasionally turned on during museum hours.
Fitchburg Art Museum
185 Elm St., Fitchburg, MA
