Puget Area Paperfolding Enthusiasts Roundtable (PAPER) is a community origami group located in Washington state dedicated to the enjoyment and promotion of the art and craft of Origami. We meet regularly on the second Sunday of the month at a Northwest Regional Library.
Our meetings regularly attract 10 – 15 folders of all ages. During our three-hour meetings we usually fold three to five models together as a group. We arrange the tables in a 'U'-shape with the folders sitting on the outside and the teacher at the top of the 'U'. This allows everyone a clear view of the teacher and each other as we encourage folks to teach their neighbor once they figure out a tricky fold. Everyone is welcome to teach and has the opportunity to share a models they have been folding.
In addition to our monthly meetings, PAPER also teaches origami throughout the community at museums, schools, festivals. In our 20+ years of meeting, PAPER has hosted two local origami conferences, including the 2011 Origami-USA's Pacific Coast Origami Conference in Bellevue, Washington.
PAPER folders teaching at The Seattle Cherry Blossom Festival.
We have taught origami at events such as the Seattle Cherry Blossom Festival, Bellevue Art Museum, and Sakura-Con Anime Festival. PAPER is a recipient of the Origami-USA 2011 V'Ann Cornelius Award for Regional Groups in recognition for their hard work.
Once we find a model we like, our group will fold it over and over, again and again… Here is an example of one of our favorite models: Riki Sato’s Alien. You can find a video tutorial of the Riki’s Alien on Jo Nakashima’s YouTube Channel.
[Right] John Smiley showing us his version of Riki’s mutated alien.
[Left] Riki Sato’s Mini Aliens, folded by Ayumi Hayatsu.
Dancing with the Aliens, folded by Terry Allen.
We absolutely love to fold with people visiting the northwest. If you find yourself in the area, we would really enjoy to meeting you. For meeting and event announcements: Like us on Facebook under the group PAPER.
-Lori Gregory