Michelle Samour a multi-media artist whose work explores the intersections between science, technology, and the natural world, as well as the socio-political repercussions of redefining borders and boundaries. Samour has been a Scholar-in-Residence at the Tufts European Center in Talloires, France; and an Artist-in-Residence at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine; The Banff Centre in Canada; and at other institutions. Samour’s has exhibited her work at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, Massachussetts; the Museum of Modern Art in Strasbourg, France; and the Kohler Art Center in Sheboygan, WI; and at many other venues. Her work has been featured in Surface Design Journal, FiberArts, and Hand Papermaking, and is included in public and private collections. Samour is Professor Emerita of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) at Tufts University where she taught historical and contemporary approaches to working with handmade paper and pulp.

Joanna Gair is a multifaceted visual artist and papermaker, living and working in Devonport, Northwest Tasmania.  After graduating with a first-class degree in Visual Art from the South Australian School of Art, in 1993, she established her studio in North-west Scotland in 1999, since then, she has blended her skills as a visual artist with the ancient craft of papermaking, forging a career marked by creativity, innovation, and sustainability. In 2004, Joanna made a pivotal transition to North-west Tasmania, assuming the roles of manager and creative director at Australia's largest handmade paper mill in Burnie. Here, she embarked on a mission to encapsulate the Tasmanian essence through papermaking. Her efforts garnered significant recognition, including the "Premier's Young Achiever Award" from Tourism Tasmania in 2006 and the "Best New Retail Product" at the National Memento Awards in 2007. Since then, Joanna has been the driving force behind her eponymous paper mill, "Joanna Gair Paper," and the launch of the "Eco Greetings" range. Here, she crafts paper-based artworks and design-focused, Tasmanian plant-based paper for a portfolio of environmentally conscious corporate and wholesale clients, collectors, and artists. 

Shanna Leino is a studio artist with a fascination for the many forms of the book. After eight years in beautiful Frankfort, Michigan, she has returned to her home state of New Hampshire. She works in her studio, manufactures a small line of hand tools for bookbinders and craftspeople, and travels throughout the U.S. and occasionally abroad, teaching book and toolmaking workshops.

Nancy Jacobi is  the Founder of The Japanese Paper Place in Toronto, a business which she began 40 + years ago after her discovery of paper’s potential while teaching English in Japan. By supplying washi worldwide, offering workshops, lectures and exhibitions, the company continues its mission to encourage creativity by highlighting the potential of this too little-understood, powerful but endangered resource.

Paul Denhoed is a paper researcher and papermaker, originally from Toronto, Canada. After receiving a Japanese Government Scholarship to study Japanese hand papermaking, he has been living and working in Japan for more than 20 years. He has worked at Oguni Washi as a production papermaker and taught papermaking, bookmaking, and art history at Asia University. He currently works closely with Imai Hiroaki of Oguni Washi in Niigata on production papermaking projects and in-depth papermaking workshops. He also offers papermaking and bookbinding workshops at universities and schools in the Tokyo area, and works with a group to maintain a kozo field (previously maintained by Richard Flavin) in nearby Saitama prefecture.

Skye Tafoya is an indigenous artist from the eastern band cherokee and santa clara pueblo tribes. Her tribal heritage and lineage are significant components that are continuously present within her artwork. Tafoya comes from a lineage of basket-weavers, both paternal and maternal, and also used to make red willow baskets with her dad, and she continues to use paper-weaving processes to honor her loved ones and ancestors. Her meticulously crafted designs, patterns, prints, and weavings are influenced by basketry and contain themes of cultural teachings, cherokee language preservation, motherhood and personal & family narratives. Tafoya creates with the intention of archiving, preserving and sharing stories, language, culture, and experiences. 

Joyce Gold is a Denver, Colorado artist who pushes the boundaries of traditional papermaking to create works in paper that are new and innovative. Her work is said to “punctuate the depth and breadth of papermaking.” Joyce uses various plant fibers with assorted papermaking techniques and markings to accentuate her work, and her love of the papermaking process piques her curiosity and leads to new discoveries. Gold’s work has been widely exhibited; she is the recipient of awards from D’Art Gallery, Arnold Grummers, and the Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory; and her work has been featured in Fiber Art Now magazine. 

Emily Martin has produced more than fifty artist’s books, often using movable and/or sculptural paper engineering techniques. Martin’s books are included in public and private collections throughout the world, and she has received grants and residencies from the College Book Arts Association, the Center for Book Arts in New York City, and the Bodleian Bibliographical Press in Oxford, England among others.  Martin has two adult daughters and lives in Iowa City, IA with her Vandercook SP15 printing press. She rides her bicycle as often as she can, sometimes all the way across the state of Iowa.

Roberto Benavidez is a sculptor specializing in the piñata form. Benavidez worked in metal-casting first, but then began longing for more accessible materials and switched to paper. His piñata forms play with the underlying themes of race and sin innate in the piñata, layered with his identity as a mixed-race queer artist, with a focus on impeccable craftsmanship. Benavidez’s sculptures have been featured in national, international and on-line publications, including ARTnews, Artsy, Atlas Obscura, hifructose.com, Hyperallergic, Politiken, The Guardian, The New York Times and This Is Colossal.  He has exhibited his work in numerous group and solo shows, and Benavidez’s Javelina Girl (Illuminated Piñata No. 14) was featured on the cover of The New York Times, Fine Arts & Exhibits section on October 23, 2022 . 

Megumi Inouye is a gift wrapping and packaging artist. Known for her sustainable wrapping designs and creative innovations, she encourages repurposing, utilizing everyday things around us and using organic and recyclable items. She attributes her passion for gift wrapping to her Japanese heritage and the cultural values that underlie the meaning behind the art of giving. Her new book, The Soul of Giftwrapping, features creative techniques for expressing gratitude, both literally and figuratively.