Kat Wesley (left) and Libby Pomeroy, aka The Hanji Crew, have been immersed in the ancient Korean art of hanji for nearly 30 years. (Photo courtesy of The Hanji Crew)
The Hanji Crew and Julia Dahle will lead “Korean Papercutting & Floral Design” on August 6 at Marine Mills Folk School. (Photo courtesy of The Hanji Crew)
Kat Wesley (left) and Libby Pomeroy, aka The Hanji Crew, have been immersed in the ancient Korean art of hanji for nearly 30 years. (Photo courtesy of The Hanji Crew)
The Hanji Crew and Julia Dahle will lead “Korean Papercutting & Floral Design” on August 6 at Marine Mills Folk School. (Photo courtesy of The Hanji Crew)
Looking for an indoor hobby to beat the heat? Try the traditional Korean art of intricate paper cutting using ‘hanji,’ Korea’s unique, strong-fibered paper. Instructors Libby Pomeroy and Kat Wesley of Hanji Crew, with guest artist Julia Dahle, will teach an introductory paper cutting class at Marine Mills Folk School on Saturday, August 6.
Hanji has been a part of Korean culture for more than 3,000 years. It’s handmade from the inner bark of the mulberry tree, using a laborious traditional process that can take years to master.
The result is a uniquely strong, beautiful paper that has historically been used to make anything from art to floor coverings and even armor.
Students will learn about the history of hanji and decorate a vase using their own hand-cut patterns. The class will also include a lesson on floral arrangement. Everyone goes home with a one-of-a-kind arrangement in a unique wood vase, and a new appreciation for Korean hanji.
“Very few people are making this remarkable paper any more, but there is a bit of a resurgence in Korea,” says instructor Libby Pomeroy. “All the paper we use is picked out piece by piece in Korea, and carried back to use here in Minnesota. We have spent many, many, MANY hours in hanji stores in Seoul.”
Pomeroy got hooked on hanji through a folk-art class at her daughter’s Korean Sunday school.
She introduced friend Kat Wesley to the art, and together they created the Hanji Crew, a small business that teaches hanji techniques and creates items for sale.
All proceeds are donated to Korean cultural organizations. Since 2011, they’ve taught countless classes for adults and worked as instructors at Korean culture camps for children in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Colorado. “When we teach, we want to make every member of the class feel welcome,” says Pomeroy.
Guest artist Julia Dahle is a Macalester College Fine Arts graduate who has a growing reputation for her one-of-a-kind floral arrangements.
“Korean Papercutting & Floral Design” takes place from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 6 at Marine Mills Folk School located at 550 Pine St., Marine on St. Croix, MN 55047. The class fee with materials is $80.
Students will leave with a decorated vase and floral arrangement. Kids 12 and up are welcome to register for this class as long as they are accompanied by an adult also registered for the class.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
Post a comment as
Report
Watch this discussion.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.