Today was the culmination of a week of hard work, learning, and community building. In the morning, we worked on two new projects that highlighted our focus for the week, using reclaimed materials. The first project was paper making, where we pulped the shredded paper from the MFS Faculty/Staff Lounge and turned it into new, handmade sheets of paper. Using the Mould and Deckles we created on our first day of the program, we were able to create paper from the pulp. Some of us incorporated flower petals we had left over from an earlier project. We look forward to seeing what the paper looks like after we return from break.
Our second project was creating “altered books.” Using books that were no longer needed in the MFS library, we used various materials to alter them in unique and interesting ways. Some students created poetry by blacking out words on the page, some created collages from old magazines, others used water color projects from earlier in the week, and others used paints and markers to add images. Each book represented us individually, and were a reflection of our time in this IL program.
After lunch, we were free to continue on projects that sparked our interest from earlier in the week. Some returned to the macramé we had worked on, others to the basket making we had enjoyed together. Luminaires were made and fabric was dyed.
Over the course of our IL time together, we created an incredibly wide array of projects including: Basket Weaving, Fabric Dyeing, Macramé, Water Color, Paper Making, Clay Pots fired in a pit, Friendship Bracelets, Water Color, Flower Pressing, Luminaries, and Altered Books. Beyond the items we produced, we also created new bonds among our fellow IL participants. We now have a unique shared experience that connects us in ways that only IL can, showing why this is one of the strongest and most unique programs MFS has to offer.
