Day 1A. Introduction/OrigamiUSA and JOAS Welcome

To kick off World Origami Days we are celebrating the birthday of a woman who played a huge role in bringing origami to the West. 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 OrigamiUSA. 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. She famously held folding events in her apartment in NYC, and there are still those among us who attended those events. Happy Birthday, Lillian!

We will learn from Wendy Zeichner and Marcio Noguchi about the major organizations in the US and Japan and how World Origami Days became important.