Debra Disman

Artist

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Teaching Artist

Celebrating Día de Muertos with Papel Picado!

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In celebration of  Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), I led a bookmaking workshop that featured Papel Picado (The art and craft of decorative cut paper) as part of my artist residency in bookmaking  at the the Panorama City Branch Library, supported by the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

Participants learned the Accordion Fold  technique, and used it to create 11″ high  Accordion Fold Books.

They then created simple Papel Picado  designs, exploring paper cutting techniques using tissue paper sheets, and added these  colorful (or black-) works to our books in various ways.

All of the techniques and materials demonstrated online, through Zoom.

The participants were adventurous, good-humored, and supportive of each other as they moved through the process, and created the  beautiful works pictured below.

BRAVO!

This is truly teaching artistry, and learning,  for the 21st Century!

 


Using the simplest techniques, participants used color and cutting to create wondrous designs, which they layered onto to and into their Accordion Fold Books.


Paper cutting using the thin sheets of tissue paper can be demanding under the best of circumstances,. I marveled at what our participants were able to accomplish guided by an online workshop!


Here, black tissue paper is employed to magical and mysterious effect.


Participants also used origami paper to create their Papel Picado designs.


Participants joined the workshop from Arizona, Montreal, and across Los Angeles County, some with grandchildren, demonstrating the potential of the internet and its global reach.


Photographing through a computer screen can be challenging, but the brilliance of these colors and repeated cut-out designs cannot be denied!

The Art of Ethics: Bookmaking at the Silverlake Independent JCC

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I had the opportunity to teach the  FLAG BOOK structure to fifth-graders at the  Silverlake Independent Jewish Community Center  in their
The Art of Ethics class focusing on Shalom Bayit – Peace in the Home.

This was my first IN PERSON teaching artist experience in over a year and a half!

It was wonderful….

Here are some of the results, as well as the process…


Developing content


“The Future” is a theme


No Rules (!)


Designing the book


Looking to the future, celebrating the now


Highly engaged


A positive approach


Innovation


Cover Design


Completing the structure


The wonderful teacher, Marnina.

“CRAFTING MEMORIES”

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“Crafting Memories: An Online Bookmaking Workshop Series is specifically designed by Craft Contemporary and artist Debra Disman for adults over the age of 55. This program is made possible by funding from Aroha Philanthropies and is part of a nationwide campaign to bring thoughtful and specialized programs to a valuable population that is often undeserved by arts institutions. 

For this special program, participants learned a variety of basic and experimental bookmaking techniques used to tell their own stories through materials and the handmade. The goal of this workshop series was to create a space to explore our stories through book forms and to express our creativity by bringing together an extensive number of materials, mementos, and memories collected through our lives.”

It has been my great joy to teach the AROHA Bookmaking classes for Seniors through Craft Contemporary. I have been so moved to hear and see our participants’ stories expressed through their book projects, and to witness their extraordinary creativity with materials, expression, and craft. The opportunity for these students to come together, share about their lives, and weave their personal histories into their projects has been so meaningful, not only for the students, but for myself and the Craft Contemporary Staff. I have been continually amazed at the richness and depth of our participants’ life experiences and their hunger to share them with others.

See the fabulous website page on the Craft Contemporary website featuring the amazing works of our talented participants HERE!

See their handmade books and read about what gathering online to learn new skills and create together meant to each of them!

You won’t forget your visit!

Tunneling Through: Tunnel Bookmaking with the Panorama City Branch Library!

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Through my Artist Residency with the Los Angles Department of Cultural Affairs Artist in Residence   I had the opportunity to offer an online program/workshop via the Panorama Branch Library of the Los Angeles Public Library in which participants learned how to make “Tunnel Books“, and thus how to create their own three-dimensional stories!

Participants learned the accordion fold technique, and how to attach a background/backdrop sheet, and connective strips to create their books, reminiscent of a diorama, or stage. They then went to down developing their stories or scenes, learning a bit of pop-up magic in the process.

 

One motivated participant motivated by opera remade her book after the program, and emailed these images to share with us!

We look forward to more inspiring, educational, creative and FUN online bookmaking programs presented through the Panorama City Branch Library!

All workshops, programs, classes and events will be listed HERE!

Stay tuned, and join us!

We Invited the Community to “Make Your Own Journal” at the Panorama City Branch Library, And They Did!

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Through my Artist Residency with the Los Angles Department of Cultural Affairs Artist in Residence   I had the opportunity to offer a program/workshop via the Panorama Branch Library of the Los Angeles Public Library in which participants created  “single signature” bound books they could use for writing, drawing, note-keeping, poetry, homework, lists, photographs, recipes and more!


People of all ages were welcomed into the program, creating books that reflected their interests, their needs, and their feelings.

Some books were focused on theme and utility, others on design, color, texture and shapes.
All expressed the makers and served as a form of sharing with the group as well.

We look forward to more!

All workshops, programs, classes and events will be listed HERE!

Stay tuned, and join us!

“Unfolding Possibilities”: The Video

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Sharing the video,
“Debra Disman: Unfolding Possibilities”

Jeny Amaya – filmmaker

18th Street Arts Center– host

Why We Rise: supporter

An initiative of the Los Angeles Count Department of Mental Health, Why We Rise LA took place in May 2021, supporting hundreds of Community Arts & Culture Projects which took place across all Los Angeles County neighborhoods, in partnership with more than 100 community groups, artists, grassroots leaders, healers and other LA County Departments. These projects and collaborations included mural making, ancestral healing workshops, a Countywide public literary art project, a Countywide chalk art program and more to celebrate the remarkable resources and communities in LA County and used arts-based strategies for healing and wellbeing.

I was honored to teach a workshop as part of Why We Rise LA 2021 in coordination with 18th Street Art Center’s Arts Learning Lab @ Home: called: Bookmaking with Self-Compassion.

 

See the “Bookmaking with Self-Compassion workshop HERE!

Nearly 70 online participants learned to create the “Flower Fold” book structure, then added embellishment, images, and words expressing their experience of the pandemic, where they are at now, what they learned, what they wanted to share, their hopes, wishes, dreams, cares , fears, realizations, trauma, expressing the full gamut of human emotions.

The range of words submitted was wide-ranging, thought-provoking and evocative….including opposite emotions and experiences and bits of truth-telling, realizations and wisdom participants seemed eager to pass on to others in other words, humanness in its multiplicity.  How to put it all together?

I took the words generated by this workshop, and requested from the community at large, and stitched them into an Artists’ Book I made as a community collaboration, entitled, “Unfolding Possibilities“.  (“Unfolding Possibilities – Possibilities Unfolding”). 

Jeny Amaya of 18th Street Arts Center created a video sharing about the workshop and the making of “Unfolding Possibilities” and it was screened at
LEFT/RIGHT/HERE: An Outdoor Art Experience
a one-night only interactive outdoor and indoor art experience as part of the exhibition Recovery Justice: Being Well. 
on
July 10, 2021 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm.

View the film!
“Debra Disman: Unfolding Possibilities”

Thank you, Jeny Amaya, 18th Street Arts Center, and Why We Rise LA for the opportunity to participate in all of these activities, and in collaboration with you and the community at-large, make a collective contribution.