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World Origami Days 2009: Oct 24 – Nov 11

Today marks the beginning of World Origami Days in the United States, the UK, and other parts of the world. October 24 to November 11 is a two and a half week celebration of the international community of origami.

The goal of World Origami days is to make origami as visible as possible. The organizers encourage you to “teach a class, fold on the bus, give your friends origami, exhibit your model”, or do whatever you can to bring origami to the attention of others.

Why these dates? October 24 is the birthday of Lillian Oppenheimer (1898-1992), who founded the first origami group in America. She was also one of the founders of the British Origami Society and Origami USA. A dynamic woman, she was delighted in the magic to be found in a piece of paper and wanted to share it with the world. The final day, November 11, is Origami Day in Japan and is recognized as the country that most fully developed the traditional art of origami.

For more information about World Origami Days, visit Origami-USA.org.

Why not try making an origami crane yourself. The video below has very detailed instructions for making an origami crane. Enjoy!

Tam Van Tran: Sculpted Paintings

I came across the work of painter Tam Van Tran on the Art Daily website and was instantly drawn in. Born in Vietnam in 1966, Van Tran currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California. He graduated from the Film and Television Program at the University of California and has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York.

Van Tran creates his most recent works, which include an ongoing series of large-scale drawings entitled “Beetle Manifesto” by drawing on large sheets of paper that he cuts into thin strips and sutures back together with thousands of staples. This process often warps the paper resulting in three dimensional sculpture-like paintings. Using a wide range of materials that include crumpled paper, staples, hole punches, and pigments mixed with organic matter such as chlorophyll, beet juice, and spirulina, his abstract creations range in size from very small to gigantic.

Van Tran has received many awards including the Joan Mitchell Foundation award and a Pollack Krassner Fellowship. His work has been exhibited in numerous group and solo exhibitions across the United States including the Whitney Biennial, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, UCLA’s Hammer Museum, and the Asian American Art Center, New York.

For more information about Tam Van Tran, see the source links below.