Paper Making

   We already knew about and had visited the San Augustin Centre for the Arts in San Augustin, Etla, the site of an abandoned textile factory acquired by Oaxaca artist and philanthropist Francisco Toledo that he converted into IAGO. Here, both national and international artists meet for workshops, diploma courses, and artistic residencies. Local artists also mount their own productions and exhibitions here on a regular basis in a variety of artistic disciplines.

   What we didn’t know during our first visit was that hidden away down to the right of the church is Papel de Oaxaca, the workshop of papermaker Maestro Alberto Valenzuela. We learned of this papermaker by chance when we hired a local driver to visit various sites of interest outside of the city centre. Our driver convinced us to pay Alberto a visit.

   Alberto began his formal education in biology, which is apparent in his knowledge of local plants and fibers used in papermaking. However, he left his scientific education path in 1986 to pursue his creative practice of papermaking.

   His current paper project did not have a headquarters so Alberto turned to Oaxaca artist and philanthropist Francisco Toledo to help with this. Alberto remembers that “by then (Toledo) had already founded IAGO and was the Mexican artist who sold the most and best.”

   Visiting Alberto’s workshop for the first time, Alberto received us with open arms and boundless enthusiasm and passion to share his knowledge for the craft of paper making. “Paper is so similar to a human being: it has memory, it is fragile, it can fly or be the meat of fire, navigate in a puddle after rain. To make paper, the only thing you need is the desire to create.”

   His workshop, a simple home with a dirt floor, is dominated with his tools, baskets of different fibers, sieves, presses and rolls of paper. There are also stacks of books, plant pots, lampshades, hats, masks, hanging mobiles and jewelry made using paper.

   We have since visited his workshop twice. Our second visit included a lecture on the impact paper has played in world history. We also learned of his collaboration with local mezcal producers - Alberto produces many of handmade labels that adorn mezcal bottle.

   During each visit he guided some of us through a hands on opportunity to create our own sheet of paper