Betsy Dollar has a long experience with printmaking and papermaking; along with teaching the art form. She is currently the Executive Director of the Springfield Art Association.
"Paper and the Wearable Book An Artist Statement.
(From "The Wedding, an installation by Betsy Dollar).
Paper has become my artistic metaphor for being human. Paper is the most commonly used material around, yet is under appreciated. It serves so many purposes, yet it is taken for granted. Just like individual humans, paper ranges from thick and rigid to delicate and flexible; its strength comes from the internal fiber length, not the surface or appearance. Paper is resilient. It can be beaten, folded, manipulated, and transformed into a multitude of useful and beautiful things. And, just like an injured person, paper can be patched, repaired, reformed, reused, and recycled.
In addition to the relationship between the material and the person, there is the metaphorical parallel between the person and a book. Each person is a kinetic story book, often judged by the cover of his or her physical appearance and clothing. My development of the "wearable book" utilizes this metaphor by generating the clothing of my characters to tell part of their story. The powerful cultural understanding and assumptions of clothing combined with text expresses their individual perspective. When my characters come together the individual stories mingle with the current circumstances to compose a new chapter for each participant."
Her website is: http://betsydollar.com/
"Paper and the Wearable Book An Artist Statement.
(From "The Wedding, an installation by Betsy Dollar).
Paper has become my artistic metaphor for being human. Paper is the most commonly used material around, yet is under appreciated. It serves so many purposes, yet it is taken for granted. Just like individual humans, paper ranges from thick and rigid to delicate and flexible; its strength comes from the internal fiber length, not the surface or appearance. Paper is resilient. It can be beaten, folded, manipulated, and transformed into a multitude of useful and beautiful things. And, just like an injured person, paper can be patched, repaired, reformed, reused, and recycled.
In addition to the relationship between the material and the person, there is the metaphorical parallel between the person and a book. Each person is a kinetic story book, often judged by the cover of his or her physical appearance and clothing. My development of the "wearable book" utilizes this metaphor by generating the clothing of my characters to tell part of their story. The powerful cultural understanding and assumptions of clothing combined with text expresses their individual perspective. When my characters come together the individual stories mingle with the current circumstances to compose a new chapter for each participant."
Her website is: http://betsydollar.com/