Paper as Politic Symposium - April 16-18, 2026
Hosted by The School of Art and Design
Papermaking considers paper as both a material and a political act. The symposium brings together artists, scholars, and makers who explore how papermaking engages questions of labor, inheritance, and representation.
Paper is approached not only as a surface but as a carrier of memory, marked by the fibers, water, and touch that shape it. Discussions will highlight how paper making resists erasure, cultivates collaboration, and embraces radical formats where the medium becomes a platform for both independent voices and collective interventions. By foregrounding both the fragility and persistence of the medium, the symposium positions paper as a site of creative agency and a vehicle for collective reflection.
George Mason University is pleased to announce a call for presentations for our upcoming symposium focused on the art, craft, history, and future of paper. We invite artists, scholars, educators, students, and historians from across disciplines to submit proposals for presentations and workshops.
- Location: George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
- Dates: April 16 – 18, 2026
- Catering Cut Off Date: April 10, 2026
- Registration Now Open
For more information, please contact us at the School of Art.
Symposium Schedule
April 16 – 18
George Mason University School of Art & Design
Thursday, April 16 // School of Art & Design
3pm - 4pm Registration & Reception
4:15pm Welcome Remarks
4:30pm Keynote by Nicole Donnelly
6pm - 8pm Opening Reception for Paper as Politic Juried Exhibition
(Open to the public)
Friday, April 17 // School of Art & Design and Fenwick Library:
8am – 9:30am Breakfast and Welcome Remarks
9:30am - 10:30am Session 1 (4 presenters // 15 minutes each)
10:45am – 11:45pm Session 2 (4 presenters // 15 minutes each)
12:00pm – 1:30pm Lunch
1:30pm – 2:30pm Workshop in Printmaking and Book Arts Studio 1009
2:45pm – 3:45pm Session 3 (4 presenters // 15 minutes each)
4pm – 4:45pm Fenwick Library visit and exhibitions
5:00ish Closing conversation with Helen Frederick at Fenwick Library
April 18 // Community Day at Lorton Workhouse Art Center:
Session 1 // 9:30am to 10:30am
1: Arelius Sutter: Material Reconstruction: Rendering Stained Glass Windows through Paper Pulp
2: Denton Shields: The Material Life of Paper: Natural Fibers
and Sustainable Sourcing
3: Mia Halton: Excavation
4: Jennifer Lillis: Formed with Intention: Paper, Ritual,
and Sacred Spaces
Session 2 // 10:45am to 11:45am
1: Danqi Cai and Yangbin Park: Between Sheets and Scripts: Translation
Through Print and Paper
2: June Linowitz: Extinction: Paper Casting as the Vehicle for Spot Lighting the Endangerment of Animal Species
3: Mary Ting: Role of Paper in Chinese Social Political Contemporary Art & Society
4: Daniel Heyman and Laura Post: Pulp, Print, and Environment
Workshop in Studio 1009 // 1:30pm to 2:30pm
Arelius Sutter and Denton Shields: Free-Form Stained Glass Pulped Painting
Session 3 // 2:45pm to 3:45pm
1: Georgia Deal and Holly Hill: Bruised and Betrayed: A Poetic Narrative of Bodily
Autonomy
2: Emily Fussner: Paper: Material and Embodied Metaphor
3: Christopher Kojzar: Pen + Paper
4: Clara Reynen: Papermaking as Protest
All Sessions held at School of Art & Design at George Mason University
Mason Exhibitions Paper as Politic
On view in Gillespie Gallery April 13 - April 23, 2026
Curated by Helen Frederick, Nicole Donnelly, Jeffrey Kenney
Registration Fee
Registration Fee
Self-pay $100.00
Institution Pay $150.00
Symposium Registration
Fee Self-Pay – $100 This rate is for individuals who are paying out of pocket and are not receiving financial support from a university, employer, or other institution.
Institution Pay – $150 This rate is for participants whose registration is being paid or reimbursed by their university, department, employer, grant, or other institutional funding source. If you are receiving institutional support, we kindly ask that you select the $150 rate.
The additional amount helps offset the reduced self-pay and need-based registration options, allowing us to keep the event accessible to those funding their own participation.
To pay your registration fee, please visit School of Art, Marketplace
Lodging: Local Hotel
The Residence Inn by Marriott in Fairfax City, Virginia is located a few miles from campus.
3565 Chain Bridge Rd, Fairfax, Virginia 22030 / 703-267-2525
Parking:
Shenandoah Parking Deck: 10401 York River Rd, Fairfax, VA 22030
Ride Share: Please use the address below for drop-off: Art and Design Building (building on left -whitish brick) 4515 Patriot Circle, Fairfax, VA 22030
Ride share vehicles may drop you off at the loading dock. The elevator is in the center of the building. Please proceed to the 1st floor, The Gillespie Gallery of Art which is located by the front entrance of the Art and Design Building.
Shenandoah Parking Deck, Visitor Parking Stations
Visitor parking at the Rappahannock Parking Deck & Shenandoah Parking Deck requires prepayment. Shenandoah Visitor Levels are on 1, 4, & 5. Please note your license plate and proceed to the pay stations near the elevators. Shenandoah pay stations are found on Levels 1 & 3. You do not have to display anything in your vehicle. We will enforce by license plate. Failure to pay upon arrival may result in a “Parking Overtime” Citation.
Instructions
- Press OK to enter menu
- Key in your license plate
- Select if you would like to pay for parking or extend your current reservation
- Select the duration of your stay by pressing the corresponding number on the keypad
- Pay for your parking.