Join us on December 9th from 1-4pm for a fun afternoon of folding paper into a variety of beautiful art forms to then create a vibrantly decorated string light. These will make fabulous decorations and wonderful gifts!
Students will first learn some basic forms and then gradually move on to the more complicated projects. These will include a balloon, a variety of cranes, Ishibashi balls, and Christmas trees.
Anybody can do Origami and our instructor, Mayumi, will teach step by step how to fold each project so everyone can enjoy one of the traditional Japanese art forms.
All materials will be provided along with printed step by step instructions for each piece done which you can take with you to remind you how to recreate each piece later at home.
Children 11 years and up are welcome without a parent. With a parent, children that are 8-10 years old are welcome.
The Setting
The workshop will take place in our barn studio, with a cozy wood stove, full of natural light and located right beside the flower garden and farm stand. Students can take time before or after class to explore the farm, nearby beaches, forested trails, and wildlife that Lummi Island offers.
Coffee, tea, and afternoon sweets will be provided.
Artist Biography
Mayumi Nishiyama Smith, an origami enthusiast, is originally from Hiroshima, Japan which is famous for the thousand origami cranes story. She grew up with the traditional art forms in Japan and has taken many workshops in Tokyo at the Origami Kaikan.
Mayumi was the tenured faculty of Japanese language and culture and Director of the Nippon Business Institute at Everett Community College for 34 years until her retirement in 2017. While there, she raised over a million dollars from the community to build a Japanese Cultural and Resource Center and Japanese Garden. While in college in Hiroshima, Mayumi participated in a project to interview the Hiroshima atomic bomb survivors. This made a lasting impression on her and made her want to bridge the cultural gaps between our countries so that something like that would never happen again. When she became the NBI director, it gave her the forum to put into practice her desire to bridge the cultural gaps. During her tenure, she taught many classes on Japanese culture and origami to community members and at the local elementary school as well.
Tickets are nonrefundable, but they are transferable