27 Millennium - Twenty-fourth Edition ARTS, MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT Ms. Stahlecker explores handmade paper as a medium for a broad range of artwork, from large, 3D installations assembled at the exhibition site to artists’ books, sculptural forms that open to suggest architectural forms and altar pieces. A rich collection of experimental papers was developed, exploring a range of plant fibers and inclusions. Ms. Stahlecker’s medium and craft is hand papermaking, a material that dates back centuries. She has spent 50 years researching papermaking worldwide through fellowships from academic institutions, including the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, corporate support, grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, and a Fulbright fellowship. Many of Ms. Stahlecker’s creative pieces are 3D installations made of handmade paper. Her expertise encompasses traditional European and Japanese hand papermaking. She has contributed to the art form’s development, blending history from Eastern and Western traditions into inventive original studio practices. Ms. Stahlecker has held teaching positions throughout her career, most recently as a visiting assistant professor at the University of Arizona College of Fine Arts in Tucson in 1999. Previously, she was an adjunct professor in the department of fine arts at the University of Alaska Anchorage and a visiting artist in the fiber department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Earlier, Ms. Stahlecker served in a prestigious arts administrative role at the Visual Art Center of Alaska in Anchorage. The state’s breathtaking beauty and her upbringing on a farm with nature-loving parents have inspired advocacy against global warming and other environmental issues, a recurring theme in her art. Ms. Stahlecker is now compiling and annotating her extensive research on hand-papermaking while also organizing her published and unpublished work. Karen Stahlecker has built her artistic career on one of the most fragile mediums: paper. She recalls how a summer spent recycling paper sparked her curiosity. Then, as part of the printmaking department at Washington University, she became engaged with the sculptural properties of handmade paper and possibilities for deep, rich embossed textures. Her interest launched a journey to discover, learn and document historical papermaking tools, materials and traditions around Western Europe and Japan. KAREN STAHLECKER OWNER WillOaksStudio Woodstock, IL
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTQ5NDA2