Press Releases
Back to Full List
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 22, 2004
Contact:
Tom Leech
Director, Palace of the Governors Press
505-476-5096
Eric Martinez
Media Manager
505-476-1144
SPECIAL DELIVERY:
WORDS AND THREADS FROM KATHMANDU
Santa Fe, New Mexico — The Palace of the Governors and the Santa Fe Art Institute are pleased to host guest artist Deepak Shrestha, of Kathmandu, Nepal, one of the few artists in the world who creates shifu, a beautiful fabric woven from handmade paper. One June 4 and 5, 2005, Shrestha will demonstrate his art at the Palace of the Governors and his work at the Santa Fe Art Institute.
The origin of shifu dates to 17th century Japan. In Japanese, “shi” means paper and “fu” means woven cloth. Shrestha was shown shifu when he was an interpreter for a Japanese handmade paper project in Nepal. He determined to learn the craft and, using handmade papers from Nepal, is now a recognized master weaver of shifu. He has shown his work in Japan, Switzerland, Germany, France and England. In Japan, where he has had numerous exhibits, his work is sought out by leading fashion designers. He recently had an exhibit at the Kimono Museum in Tokyo. This is his second visit to the United States.
Shrestha’s shifu will be on exhibit at Santa Fe Art Institute (SFAI) June 3 to June 16. SFAI is open weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment on weekends. The exhibition is part of SFAI’s 2005 season of lectures, workshops and exhibitions gathered together under the title “Clothesline: Art, Clothing, Identity.”
A weekend of related events begins with a free, public reception for the artist at SFAI, Friday, June 3, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. It continues with demonstrations at the Palace of the Governors, where Shrestha and Tom Leech, Director of the Palace Press, will demonstrate the steps of shifu making, from Nepalese-style papermaking to spinning and weaving. Demonstrations will be Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
In addition to shifu and papermaking activities there will be poetry readings in the Courtyard at the Palace of the Governors, Sunday, June 5, at 2 p.m. Reading will be John Brandi, Renée Gregorio and Gary Mex Glazner, three of the poets featured in the Word Art Poetry Broadside Series,” published by the Palace Press and currently on exhibit in “Lasting Impressions: The Private Presses of New Mexico,” at the Palace of the Governors. The series is also one of four related exhibits that will tour New Mexico.
The three will read from poems written as they traveled through Nepal and Asia. Brandi and Gregorio are well-known New Mexico writer, and Brandi’s Tooth of Time Press is one of the featured private presses in “Lasting Impressions.” Glazner, the poet-in-residence at the Palace, also performs as ¡Poet Man¡ a character he devised to promote literacy, book arts, and writing for “Lasting Impressions.”
Sunday activities are free to New Mexico residents with I.D.
This “Lasting Impressions” event is supported by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The IMLS, a federal grant-making agency dedicated to creating and sustaining a nation of learners by helping libraries and museums serve their communities supports the Palace of the Governors and its partners, the New Mexico State Exhibitions Program.
To learn more about the IMLS, please log on at http://www.imls.gov
For more information about the exhibit, contact Tom Leech at the Palace Press, (505) 476-5096.
The Palace of the Governors is part of the Museum of New Mexico/Department of Cultural Affairs.
www.palaceofthegovernors.org
