Practice 1
Studio Research from the Center for Book and Paper Arts
Sheroanawë Hakihiiwë: Recent Projects
Sheroanawë Hakihiiwë and Center for Book
and Paper Arts Director Steve Woodall in
the Center’s resource room.
Abstract
This report describes the background and outcomes of visits in 2010 and 2011
from Sheroanawë Hakihiiwë, a Yanomami artist of the Venezuelan rainforest, to
the studios of the Columbia College Chicago Center for Book and Paper Arts. Our
research is intended to help invoke and present the artistic and spiritual vision of
an artist from an indigenous non-Western culture. By introducing the artist to papermaking techniques developed for fine art practice, we helped him find new tools
with which to express a very traditional symbology and belief system. At the same
time, his artistic collaboration broadens our students’ worldview, putting them in
touch with an artistic vision far outside their normal experience.
The direct and indirect outcomes of the Center’s research include: a series
of prints depicting the animistic cosmos of the Yanomami people, a contribution
to documentation of the intangible heritage of the Yanomami through the publication of a limited edition, the development of studio production techniques for
editioned paper prints, an engagement and ongoing relationship with a significant
indigenous artist, and the development of relationships with the book and paper
art communities in Venezuela.
Center for Book and Paper Arts
www.colum.edu/cbpa
February 2012
A Collaboration Begins
In early 2010, the Center for Book & Paper Arts featured artist Laura Anderson Barbata in a retrospective
exhibition of her work, Among Tender Roots. Barbata is an
interdisciplinary artist whose work ranges from costume
design to sculpture and video, but the exhibition highlighted another important aspect of her work: the intersection of social action with artistic practice, with particular attention to her projects in hand papermaking.
The centerpiece of the exhibition was her Yanomami Owë Mamotima project. Founded in 1992, the
project established a permanent hand papermaking facility in the Yanomami community of Platanal, Venezuela. Their first editioned publication, Shapono (meaning
a communal house) transcribes a traditional creation
myth and tells the story of the community’s first shapono. Though carved printing blocks had long been a part of
their culture, these blocks were used exclusively for body
decoration. The use of a new substrate, paper, as a matrix
for this ceremonial art merged two technologies to create
what is essentially a new art form. In 2000, the first book,
Shapono, received the Best Book of the Year award from
Melissa Potter couches a sheet of paper and Sheroanawë Hakihiiwë stencils pigmented pulp onto a base
sheet.
the Centro Nacional del Libro of Venezuela, and Barbata’s
project has helped inspire Caracas-based Instituto de Estudios Avanzados (IDEA), led by Professor Alvaro Gonzalez Bastidas, to build the Shapono School in Alto Orinoco
to preserve and promote Yanomami culture.
Among Tender Roots was the first exhibition to
feature Shapono in the United States. Inspired by this
fact, Bastidas arranged for Sheroanawë Hakihiiwë, Yanomami Owë Mamotima project leader and artist, to travel
with IDEA representative Maria Elena Ghersi to offer a
lecture at Columbia College Chicago. In order to maximize this extraordinary opportunity, I proposed that
we create with the artist an edition of fifteen, 22 x 30
inch works in handmade paper at the Center, aided by
graduate students. The small edition was such a success
that faculty and staff committed to bringing Hakihiiwë
back the following year. In its second iteration, Hakihiiwë worked with my Intermediate Papermaking students
to produce a pulp painting edition-variable of six of his
paintings depicting traditional Yanomami stories he had
collected from his mother. (In a video interview, Haki-
hiiwë described the tradition of women as artists in Yanomami culture, which
developed from women painting onoto root on babies in elaborate patterns to
enhance their immune systems.)
The project continued in the summer of 2011 with an innovative artistic model conceived by Gonzalez and esteemed curator Tahia Rivero of Fundación Mercantil in Caracas. Supported by the Taller de Artes Gráficas (TAGA)
and IDEA, ten of Venezuela’s top visual artists were hand selected by Rivero
for a four-week intensive workshop to create a collaborative artists’ book. The
workshop challenged the roles of paper and book in contemporary artmaking
practice by engaging the selected artists with media they had never used before. The book was made with sisal, daphne, and cotton handmade paper produced by the artists, and featured the artists’ creative interpretations of the
Yanomami story Pore Awë (Pore Awë means Plaintain Man and the story tells
of the Spanish introducing the staple crop to the Yanomami people). Columbia College Book and Paper graduate students Haley Nagy and Maggie Puckett
worked with me to teach hand papermaking and develop an innovative book
structure to embody the spirit of the story. It was an intense experiment in the
collaborative process, and the artists spent long hours discussing the boundary between community and individual artistic engagement in the project. The
final work was featured in an exhibition at G (18) Centro De Artes Los Galpones,
Caracas, Venezuela; sales proceeds will benefit the Yanomami community.
Our plans for the future include bringing Hakihiiwë back to the papermaking studio to produce a third series of works that engage his drawings
with fibers from his community. A second iteration of the book, paper, and
printmaking collaboration is planned to take place in Caracas next summer.
We hope to one day teach hand papermaking and book arts at the Shapono
School in Platanal to continue this remarkable exchange of artistic interpretation between these diverse cultures. In the spirit of collaboration, we challenge
our impressions, engage cultures urgently in need of preservation, and bring
light to our shared human experience.
Melissa Potter
Book and Paper grad students Hannah King
and Boo Gilder pull base sheets for the project.
Melissa Potter and Clifton Meador with students Claire Sammons, Boo Gilder and Laura Miller.
Caracas, you watermarked my life
The group of artists, CCC students, faculty, curator,
and organizers in Caracas.
I SPENT a month in Caracas, Venezuela in the summer of 2011, participating
in a book and paper workshop to support the renewal of the Yanomami tribe.
I arrived in the capital along with papermaking instructor Melissa Potter, fellow MFA student Haley Nagy, and Yanomami artist Sheroanawë Hakihiiwë
(returning from his collaboration with Columbia College Book and Paper students).
The talented and energetic Alvaro Gonzalez, with the help of his tireless interns (Jesus Eduardo Gonzalez Rodriguez, and a man who went by the
politically incorrect moniker Chino) constructed a fully functioning papermaking studio in the backyard of the a well-equipped printmaking workshop,
El Taller de Artistas Gráficos Asociados (TAGA). Under the protective canopy
of trees, and the watchful eyes of parrots, we were joined by local artists (Natalya Critchley, Emilio Narciso, Leonardo Nieves, Suwon Lee, Juan José Olavarría, Luis Romero, Agustín Villasana) and charged with the task of developing a book of artistic responses to the Yanomami myth Pore Awë. Together we
prepared daphne and sisal for papermaking by cutting, soaking, cooking, and
finally beating the fibers in a Mark Lander Critter paper beater. Some fiber
was dyed with turmeric and achiote to produce bright yellow-orange pulp.
Maggie Puckett, in Venezuela, making a
Sheets were formed with moulds and deckles and deckle boxes (all construct‘blowout’ stencil in handmade paper.
ed by Alvaro Gonzalez and his team) and dried on metal sheets in a room
semi-sealed from the humid climate. Dehumidifiers greatly decreased the drying time, but also caused a couple of
power outages. For the next few weeks the artists each worked to produce an edition of 25 artworks using handmade
paper, lithography, etching, cutting, collage, wax, ashes, dirt and whatever else each artist had in their arsenal.
The day before we left Caracas, an exhibition of the first two completed books was held at the Centro de Arte
Los Galpones in Caracas. Along with the book, the exhibition featured documentation by photographer Ricardo Jiménez and printing plates used by the artists to illuminate the month-long process.
While Caracas is known for violence and complicated politics, my hosts, instructors, and collaborators showed
me unlimited generosity and warmth, revealing a more enchanting side of this deeply beautiful, but deeply troubled
land. I am honored to have been part of this exciting and noble workshop, and I look forward to future manifestations
of this international collaboration.
Maggie Puckett
Among Tender Roots
Few artists have combined community action with an art practice as effectively as Laura Anderson Barbata. Traditionally educated in art, and highly
successful in mainstream gallery and museum networks, her career evolved
quickly to incorporate her passion for art with a social purpose. Among Tender
Roots highlights this aspect of Barbata’s career, with focus on hand papermaking as a community practice. Barbata employs all aspects of hand papermaking
in these undertakings: recycling, science, education, and perhaps above all the
primacy of papermaking as a locally available art medium.
In 1992, Barbata entered Venezuelan Yanomami territory on the pretext of studying the tribe’s distinctive canoe building technique for use in her
sculptural work, but also to satisfy an abiding interest in the cultural and environmental ecologies of artmaking. In exchange for learning canoe building, she
taught them hand papermaking, and the Yanomami Owë Mamotima (meaning,
roughly, “Yanomami working together to make paper”) project was born. The
project has evolved to incorporate the first self-written and printed history by a
native people of the Amazon region, and at the same time has created a revenue
stream intended to keep the local cultural and ecological environment intact.
Yanomami use the paper for prints, cards and illustrated books, which tell stories of their society’s formidable struggle to balance tradition and culture with
technological advancement and the threat of environmental devastation.
Their books represent a significant achievement: true artists’ books
created in one of the most remote inhabited regions on the planet. The publication Shapono tells the story of how twin brothers Omawë and Yoawë built the
first shapono, or communal dwelling. The book is illustrated in relief prints
by children of their community and is the culture’s first written record. Their
second book, Iwariwë, relates a trickster-as-culture-hero myth, and was created
as a single-copy artists’ book, with a companion offset-printed trade edition
published by the IDEA Institute in Caracas.
Locally available fibers for hand papermaking create distinction by location, and the range of fibers available for Yanomami Owë Mamotima attests
to the astounding biodiversity and specificity of the rainforest. As a support
for the hand carvings and stories of the indigenous peoples of this region, the
literal use of the forest for paper lends depth and power to Yanomami prints
and text.
It is a mistake, however, to assume papermaking produces beautiful
art with ease. Those familiar with handmade paper understand that it can be
among the most challenging media, leaning towards rather unaesthetic mush
if not handled with the utmost finesse and sensitivity to local alchemies. And
this is where Barbata is a master on many levels. An interdisciplinary artist
whose work ranges from costume design to sculpture and video, her hand is
evident in the direction of all these projects. She has an unusual ability to encourage both excellence and authentic local expression at the same time.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Yanomami Owë Mamotima has
been its tremendous achievement in self-sustainability. Unlike many artistic initiatives whose initial efforts in social engagement are exhausted after
the review buzz dies down, Barbata’s projects enjoy ongoing success and have
found recognition beyond the fine art community. Much of this can be attributed to the holistic approach these programs employ, as well as community
buy-in that allows Barbata to act as an ongoing consultant even as the projects
Sheroanawë stencils pigmented pulp.
Laura Anderson Barbata curating wet sheets.
Sheroanawë and CCC graduate student Trisha
Martin.
operate independently. Yanomami Owë Mamotima has
been sustained for nearly twenty years, a monumental
accomplishment. Yanomami participants in the project
also lead workshops for neighboring communities, and
the project’s success has created new visibility overall for
indigenous communities in Venezuela.
Barbata’s unique blend of artistic vision, community involvement, education, and local empowerment
highlights an advantage of hand papermaking as a medium for flexible integration of art and activism. The
self-sustainability papermaking affords through locally
available and recycled materials, combined with its relative ease of use as an artistic medium, can bring forth
unexpected outcomes. The planned Shapono School,
with its permanent studio and community center in
Yanomami territory, could not have happened without Barbata’s pioneering work. And her work continues
to evolve, introducing new ideas and materials to both
community activism and her own studio practice. The
success and momentum generated by these projects will
surely continue to inspire more to follow.
Melissa Potter
Laura Anderson Barbata
Working With Shero
It was in 1992 that I first went to the Amazon of Venezuela. I was interested in exploring the ways in which my
art-making practice could address environmental and
social concerns in a participatory/collaborative manner.
Upon arriving in Mahekoto-Platanal, a small
Yanomami community located along the Orinoco River, I
was met by a group of Yanomami youth with whom I was
unable to communicate. Having focused a great deal of
my studio work on drawing, I firmly believed in the capacity that this medium has to convey complex ideas and
emotions. I thought that drawing could be our common
language. I was wrong.
I had a journal made with handmade paper and
tore out sheets, which I shared along with some pencils. I
was the only one who drew on the paper, while everyone
else had different uses for it. One used the point of the
pencil to pierce a small hole into a corner of the sheet and
threaded a long, thin fiber through it, creating a type of
kite. Another carefully folded it lengthwise several times
like a fan and tucked it into his loincloth. Someone else
raised it against the sunlight to examine it and pointed
to trees and plants that surrounded us. A fourth brought
it toward her face and took a deep breath. Their reactions
were not so unconventional, however. In fact, I had often
seen experienced papermakers interact with hand-made
paper in exactly the same way. I understood immediately
that I was in the company of extraordinary papermakers
who had never seen hand-made paper before. And so the
project began.
Yanomami culture has a rich oral tradition of
storytelling that has been challenged over the last fifty
years as their youth have been taught by missionaries to
read and write. There were a few books in the Amazon for
the Yanomami community—some in Spanish and others in Yanomami—but none written by the Yanomami
themselves. I felt that here was an opportunity to balance the outflux and influx of information, and that this
could be achieved by refocusing, reorganizing and reconceptualizing local technology and materials towards the
creation of books made by hand by the local Yanomami
community.
After I presented a self-sustaining paper and
bookmaking project to the community of Mahekoto
Platanal, it was quickly embraced by the village. A group
of papermakers, printers, bookmakers, narrators, and
Pulp painting in progress
scholars began to form with the assistance of the shaman. The group was in constant flux—some days with many participants and
others with very few. There was always a member of Sheroanawë Hakihiiwë´s
family with us. The workshops were open to anyone in the community and thus
frequently crowded. We began to test local fibers normally harvested by the
community to see their response to both Western and Japanese papermaking
techniques. We shared our findings with Dieu Donné Papermill experts Mina
Takahashi and Melissa H. Potter (Potter worked at Dieu Donné prior to Columbia College Chicago), who from the start were generous advisors to the project. Clayton Kirking, the chief librarian for the Gimbel Library at the Parsons Patterns representing a mythic caterpillar
School in New York, was also an invaluable resource.
Community protocol dictates that the chief or Capitán of the community must choose the leaders of any project. In this case the Capitán named himself head of the Yanomami Owë Mamotima project, which helped us gain the
community’s respect for and interest in the papermaking project. Unfortunately, he was not really invested in becoming a papermaker and quickly lost interest, so participation and output began to shrink. Sheroanawë´s family was very
concerned and spoke to me about the risk of losing the project due to lack of leadership and community involvement.
It was at this time that I discovered who was behind the great support shown by this family—it was the head of the
household, who from the first day recognized the importance and value of this project and urged her children to learn
and master the art of paper and book making. Sheroanawë wanted to lead the project to ensure that it continued, but
protocol made it impossible for him to assume this position. At his recommendation, I discussed the situation with the
community and he was soon elected publicly to lead the project. Shortly thereafter, Shapono, the first book created by
and in the Yanomami territory, was completed and received the Best Book of the Year Award in Venezuela. It was the
first major recognition for the Yanomami and for all indigenous people of Venezuela. Today, Shapono (edition of fifty
signed copies) is part of major collections around the world.
Sheroanawë has been leading the project since 1996 and with his family is developing a strategic plan for its
growth. His mother is a spokesperson for the project in the community and an important advisor on pigments, fibers,
and other traditional knowledge that can be translated into papermaking techniques. She also conveys important traditional narratives for inclusion in the books. Not only has she been pivotal in the growth and stability of this project,
she continues to be an integral part of it to this day.
With strong family and community support, recognition from government institutions such as IDEA, and
the international papermaking community, Sheroanawë began to solidify his career as a papermaker. As an artist, he
quickly gained the confidence to explore a more complex visual language. It was not until he was invited by Columbia
College Chicago’s Center for Book and Paper Arts to participate in their artist residency program held in conjunction
with my show Among Tender Roots, however, that Sheroanawë was able to establish himself firmly in the contemporary
art circuit of Venezuela. Today he is recognized as a contemporary artist and his work is included in various collections
both private and public, among them the Colección de Arte Contemporaneo Banco Mercantil, Caracas, Venezuela.
Laura Anderson Barbata
Participants
Melissa Potter
Assistant Professor
Columbia College Chicago
Interdisciplinary MFA in Book and Paper
Haley Nagy
MFA Candidate
Columbia College Chicago
Interdisciplinary MFA in Book and Paper
Maggie Puckett
Alumna
Columbia College Chicago
Interdisciplinary MFA in Book and Paper
Laura Anderson Barbata
Artist
Associate Professor, La Esmeralda,
INBA., Mexico, D.F. , Mexico
Venezuela project concept/support
Alvaro Gonzalez Bastidas
Maria Elena Ghersi
Venezuela participants
Natalya Critchley
Sheroanawë Hakihiiwë
Ricardo Jiménez
Suwon Lee
Norma Morales
Leonardo Nieves
Emilio Narciso
Juan José Olavarria
Gaby Quero
Tahía Rivero
Luis Romero
Augustin Villasana
Gallery of works by Hakihiiwë, created
with the aid of Melissa Potter, Laura
Anderson Barbata, and Book and Paper
MFA students in the paper studios at
the Center for Book and Paper Arts.
The images represent, in his words,
(top) a large edible snake associated
with festivals; (middle) the protective
spirit of a small jaguar; (bottom) food
washing baskets. For more images, go
online to http://www.colum.edu/Academics/interarts//book-and-paper.