YOU ARE HERE: Central Kentucky Home→Collections

Paper passion: Valentine paper-cutting class comes to arts center

January 22, 2008|KELLY MCKINNEY

It can be cut. It can be mounted. It can be folded - in hundreds of ways. Paper's versatility makes it a good art medium, and it's used by paper cutters all around the world to create designs ranging from animals and hearts to flowers and trees.

Local people have the chance to learn this art form Saturday, when Debbie Baird teaches a Valentine paper-cutting class at the Community Arts Center. The class will use a variety of techniques to create Valentine designs.

Paper-cutting was brought to the United States by Germans, Baird said. It is called scherenschnitte, which means scissor-cuttings. It almost died out, but survived in Pennsylvania. Baird picked it up in Fort Wayne, Ind., "casually and informally," but soon learned that, to some, it's anything but casual.

She participated in a week-long paper-cutting conference in 2002, where she saw people in their 90s cutting paper until 2 to 3 in the morning every day.

"I was completely blown away," she said. "It's their passion."

Baird said paper-cutting is usually self-taught, or passed down in families.

"There are no die-hard rules," she said.

She said paper-cutting artists are always free to experiment.

"That's what I really like about it," she said.

Quilting designs come in handy

Baird uses a lot of quilt-like designs because she used to quilt. She uses nine "patches" of paper on one big piece of paper and designs each patch differently.

Traditionally, designs are mounted on black silhouette paper. Polish-style designs use black paper and colored paper.

Many types of designs exist, and there are many designers to create them. There's even a guild, which Baird joined about seven years ago. It's called the Guild of American Papercutters, which, despite its name, has members in 15 countries. The guild is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

But Baird, 58, said many of its members are older, and she's worried younger people won't keep the art alive, which is one reason she teaches classes.

She wants people to be better educated about the art when they see it. And she wants to keep it from dying.

"I want to see the next generation get hooked on paper-cutting," she said.

* * *

IF YOU GO...

When: 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. Saturday

Where: Community Arts Center, 401 W. Main St., Danville

Cost: $20 per person;supplies are provided

Bring: embroidery or cuticle scissors

* * * * *

Find cool ideas for paper-cutting patterns at www.geom.uiuc.edu/docs/doyle/mpls/handouts/node27.html, and download

a pdf of Chinese paper-cuttings at www.suite101.com/article.cfm/discipline_based_art_education/81548.