Without the use of paper there would be no mokuhanga. Washi has played an indelible position in the world of the Japanese print. Many artists in mokuhanga use washi for their prints and as The Unfinished Print is a podcast dedicated to the workings of mokuhanga I felt it was necessary to interview an expert in all things washi. Nancy Jacobi has worked tirelessly in promoting the use of washi in her life through her company and store The Japanese Paper Place, here in Toronto. She has lectured on the subject, as well as educated many about the possibilities of washi. In this episode of The Unfinished Print Nancy helps me understand how important washi is to many artists, its history, and how it needs to be saved. 

follow The Unfinished Print and my work on Instagram @popular_wheatprints, Twitter @unfinishedprint, or email me at [email protected]

Show Notes: all links are hyperlinked. Just click!

The Japanese Paper Place 

Echizen washi 

Iwami UNESCO paper  

Ogawa Hosokawa UNESCO 

kozo paper - this video  I found on YouTube is a great mini doc of the intensive paper making process.  Rembrandt (1606-1669) - washiarts.com have written on Rembrandt’s use of Japanese paper.  Inuit printmaking - The Inuit are an Arctic group of indigenous peoples located in Canada, Greenland, and the US state of Alaska.  They have a tradition of printmaking beginning in the 1950’s, as introduced by administrator John A. Houston (1921-2005),who according to The Canadian Encyclopedia, studied in Japan for a few months under print artist Un’ichi Hiratsuka (1895-1997) Today, there is a rich history of printmaking from the Inuit people.  Mitsumata paper 

Timothy Barrett is a printmaker and paper maker from the US who was interviewed on the Paper Talk Podcast  

Dutch trade with Japan as found on a multi part website dedicated to the Netherlands/Japan exchange 

Japonisme - a great essay found in the MET website  

The Ontario College of Art is located in downtown Toronto near the Art Gallery of Ontario. With a long history of artists and art OCAD continues to teach art in Toronto. 

The Bookbinders Guild of Toronto 

chiyogami paper is a patterned paper for decoration and art  

CERB - the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit plan was a monetary response to the current COVID-19 pandemic  

Queen St. West is a street in the central part of Toronto, running West to East, with a rich history. In the 1980’s when Nancy was first setting up The JPP it was a seedier part of Toronto with a lot of prostitution, drugs, and poverty.  

CAMH - The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is an institution in Toronto for the care of individuals afflicted with various psychiatric issues. It is still located on Queen St. West and has always been a fixture in the area.  With a rich varied history of research and awareness CAMH continues its efforts today. 

Toronto artist co-ops have been important to the preservation and cooperation between artists for a long time. Artscape, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and others have been working with artists in Toronto for years. 

The Paper Place 

Trinity Bellwoods Park is a 16 hectare park located in and around Queen Street and Dundas Streets in Toronto.  It’s an important park for many students, artists, hipsters, and bohemians. Once used by the University Of Toronto with the building of Trinity College in the mid 19th century, the college had been demolished in the 1950’s much like many architecturally important buildings in Toronto at that time, and currently. 

Etobicoke (Ētowbicoe) is a part of the city of Toronto which stretches west towards the city of Mississauga. It was a suburb until Toronto amalgamation in January of 1998.

Au Papier Japonais (Montréal) -  I would encourage my American printmaker listeners to seek out Canadian paper shops like the JPP and APJ, as well as Washi Arts in the US, for their paper needs. With shipping being complicated with COVID-19 it may be a better option.

The Ontario Arts Council is a grant based organization in the province of Ontario which grants subsidies for artists in visual and theatrical art. 

The Japan Foundation is an organization based in Japan but found with art spaces and offices all over the world which spreads the culture of Japan.  Creative World 

Brian Kelley - printmaker 

Harbourfront is a portion of the lake shore in Toronto from Bathurst St. to Queens Quay. It has become a center for art, sports, theatre and outdoor activities. The arts have predominantly been exhibited at The Harbourfront Centre. 

ARTiculations -  a shop in Toronto which conducts many workshops in many art forms. 

opening credit background music: Return 0f The Crooklyn Dodgers feat. Chubb Rock, O.C., Jeru The Damaja (1995)

© Popular Wheat Productions

Disclaimer: Please do not reproduce or use anything from this podcast without shooting me an email and getting my express written or verbal consent. I'm friendly :)