The Southwest School of Art’s large, airy Picante Paper Studio houses two Hollander beaters, a wide variety of molds and deckles, a 20-ton paper press, wet and dry work area, and a dedicated room for drying large quantities of handmade paper.
The adjacent book arts studio includes a rare Vandercook proofing press, a stamping machine, as well as a standing and a finishing press for bookbinding.
The department is also the home of the School by the River Press, which produces limited edition, aesthetically resonant chapbooks and cards.
Beck Whitehead began making paper in 1984. Since 1989 she has been Chair of Paper/Book Arts. Whitehead’s paintings and one-of-a-kind books have been exhibited at institutions such as the Center for Book and Paper Arts in Chicago, the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, and in a solo exhibition at the Robert C. Williams American Museum of Papermaking in Atlanta. Whitehead is currently a member of the Hand Papermaking board of directors.
Nationally known artists working in paper or book arts who have taught workshops at the Southwest School in the last five years include:
Audrey Niffenegger – Chicago IL
Sonja Greentree Rossow – Tuscaloosa AL
Sandra Murchison – Jackson MS
Bridget O’Malley – Minneapolis MN
Drew Cameron + Drew Malott – Burlington VT
Shanna Leino – Harrisville NH
Bonnie Stahlecker – Plainfield IN
“From the moment we picked up the first person at the San Antonio airport the energy began to grow. As each additional pulp painter entered the paper studio at the Southwest School of Art there were introductions, warm greetings to old friends, and building excitement about this historic endeavor. Eleven artists from around the country were meeting to talk, share, and exchange ideas about approaches to painting with pulp. From January 14 through 17, 2010, we participated in an intensive symposium on an intimate scale—a Pulp Painting Think Tank…” read more
In 2008, The Friends of Dard Hunter, a worldwide organization for hand papermakers, held its annual conference at the SSA. The group supports the Dard Hunter collection at the Robert C. Williams Paper Museum, and sponsors exhibitions of the art and science of papermaking in the U.S. and abroad.
Image by Beck Whitehead, “Caught” 2009
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