Cut, Fold, and Form: Featuring Kiff Slemmons and Julie VonDerVellen

January 24 – May 1, 2016

Julie VonDerVellen
Hidden, 2014
Paper and acrylic paint
14 x 1 1/2 inches
Courtesy of the Artist
Photography: Jim Escalante

Even in a culture that seems more and more digitally-oriented, paper is a material that is pervasive. Over the ages, artists have included paper in their practice in a variety of ways, such as a surface for an image, a component of a larger piece, in the form of a book, or a sculptural material.

While there are aspects of paper that are fragile and delicate, it can also be versatile and durable. Historically, it has been utilized in a myriad of objects such as jewelry, clothing, lampshades, and vessels. Blending creativity, design, and engineering, papercraft traditions offer a repertory of techniques that extend the possibilities of the material. These methods include the folding practice of origami, papercutting, and quilling—creating designs from curled paper. Contemporary manipulations of paper play on its physical properties and capabilities as well as its history as both a handmade material and an integral part of mass communication where it is utilized to convey news and images to a large audience.

Whether emphasizing the structural, the conceptual, or both, the artists whose works are featured in Cut, Fold, and Form transform paper—a familiar and seemingly mundane material—into vessels, sculpture, adornment, and artist’s books. Featured artists Kiff Slemmons, who makes ornate paper jewelry, and Julie VonDerVellen, who creates complex sculptural paper watches and clocks, are represented by multiple works. Artists from RAM’s extensive, growing collection expand the conversation.

More About the Exhibition

Exhibition Gallery Guide (PDF)

Exhibition Glossary (PDF)

Press Room

Artists in the Exhibition

Leon Anderson, Josef Bajus, Christine Bourdette, Laurie Stein Bush, Marylee Bytheriver, Jean Campbell, Helen Carnac, Curt L. Carpenter, Ramon-Puig Cuyas, Lorraine Davis, Dominic L. Di Mare, Tracy Dietzel, Ray DiPalma, Marta Gomez, Beth Grabowski, Walter S. Hamady, Norie Hatakeyama, Ric Haynes, Caren Heft, Kevin J. Henkes, Patti Quinn Hill, Charles Hobson, Kazue Honma, Margie Hughto, Margaret Ponce Israel, Charlene Johnson, Kevin Kennedy, Susan E. King, Anne Kingsbury, Naomi Kobayashi, Ann Kresge, John Krewal, Katherine Kuehn, Robert Kushner, Gyongy Laky, Shereen LaPlantz, Jim Lee, Ke-Sook Lee, Ruth Lingen, Scott L. McCarney, Mary Merkel-Hess, Ruth Miles, Jefffrey W. Morin, Beverly L. Nichols, Richard Olson, Kevin Osborn, Frank Paluch, Mary Jo Pauly, JoAnna Poehlmann, Lois Polansky, Jacqueline Rice, Donna Rosenthal, Bird Ross, Ed Rossbach, Susi Schnieder, Kay Sekimachi, Barbara Shaw, Diane Sheehan, Alan Shields, Ida Shoichi, Michael Snow, David Stairs, Lenore Tawney, Merle Temkin, Barbara Tetenbaum, Adrian R. Tio, Claire Van Vliet, Michael Villiquette, Kelly Walsh, Carol Westfall, Gayle Wimmer, and Cybele Young