Paper Making at Cordova Fungus Festival, AK – 2009

“The 3rd Annual Cordova Fungus Festival”was held in August 2009, to which I was again invited, this time to teach classes in “Polypore Paper Making” (see below) and “Making Myco-Stix”, both arts that were pioneered by the indomitable Miriam C. Rice in Mendocino, California. Both of these workshops at the Cordova Fungus Festival were sponsored by The Alaska State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts to which I am most grateful for giving me the opportunity to teach again in Cordova! Once again, all of Cordova, Alaska, seemed to be involved in this affair – every other business had a poster in the window, fishermen, store owners and Forest Service folk were wearing “Cordova Fungus Festival” T-shirts… everywhere the enthusiasm was palpable and contagious. Dr. Steve Trudell from University of Washington, became the “lead mycologist”, but we also had local field biologists on hand – courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service, several members of whom are also avid dyers and knitters.

POLYPORES for PAPER inside on a rainy day in Cordova, Alaska

 We used about 8 different polypores and as well as a few mushrooms left over from dyebaths

Stacks of polypore paper, layered with felts and newspaper for absorption, were accumulated next to each basin of slurry. (Photo by Allen Marquette)

After the inital water was squeezed out of the paper, the extra layers of wet cloth, felt, and newspapers were removed. The individually numbered and initialed paper, still sitting on their original cotton cloths, were put onto screens to slowly dry.

Once again, I offer my sincerest thanks to Erin Cooper for organizing and inviting me to teach the “Papermaking” and “Myco-Stix” workshops, and to Allen and Susanna Marquette for being my most generous hosts at their home in Cordova!~ Dorothy Beebee

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