A stunning example of Michael Velliquette’s paper art.
Learn The Basics of Paper Art From a College Professor
Michael Velliquette is a professional papercraft artist and a professor at the University of Wisconsin, Maddison. He has been a dedicated paper craftsman for over 15 years. In this episode of the Cut it Out! Podcast, I speak to Michael about the very basics of papercraft. We also dive into advice for getting your artwork into galleries and public work.
I have always had an interest in paper crafting, however, I really don't know anything about it. I want to thank Michael for explaining his craft in-depth and providing valuable insight.
Without summarizing the entire show, I want to share some things that I found to be very insightful. He is clearly an expert in this subject and as I paraphrase, I feel like a crazed frowning clown trying to mime the process without the proper words. This stuff is new to me and my coffee hasn't kicked in yet, but here we go:
Basic Introduction to Paper Art and Paper Craft
The Three States of Paper
Michael explains that each papercraft artist exploits one of three states of paper: Shape, Edge, and texture. Paper, being a planar medium always has these states.
When we cut flat paper into shapes like snowflakes we use shape.
When we fold paper or roll it into scrolls, we use edge.
The texture of paper pertains to the condition of its surface.
A recent papercraft sculpture by Michael Velliquette
How to Get Your Collage and Papercrafts into Galleries
Michael says that the best way to get your work into a gallery is to find the "right context". If you don't know what context means, it is one of my favorite art vocabulary words. To me, context means the situation or series of events that surround your work. Context is a tool used to understand art, and successful artists almost always exploit it to their advantage. A basic example I use is Banksy's street art. The context of his art is the street. That is the place. His work connects to the street, it gives it power and meaning.
Banksy once painted a hole in the wall dividing Israel from Palestine in the Gaza Strip. The hole revealed a tropical paradise. The power of this image comes from its direct connection to its place. If this image were on a gallery wall, it would simply be a clever optical illusion at best.
So the question for getting your toe into a gallery is this: What is your context? Do you even need a gallery for your work? If you decide you do need a gallery, do your research. Find out what galleries your work would fit into. Think of the vibe and the style. Find your tribe. Is there a gallery in your town that fits your aesthetic? Frequent their shows. Hang out. Be part of the scene. Find your context. This is great advice from Michael.
How to Turn Your Artwork into Large Public Art Installations
Michael is a paper artist, yet has made public art installations using metal. I ask Michael how a paper artist is able to convince people that they can work with metal. In our favor, paper has many common traits to other planar media like metal and plastics.
When you have an idea for a large installation, create a practical artist's proposal. This resonates with me because before I was an artist, I was an architect. Architects basically create intricate proposals for buildings as a profession. An art proposal should include coherent writings and renderings of what your final installation will look like. This includes selecting all your materials and outlining progress that aligns with key deadlines.
As I said, this episode is filled with great advice. I highly recommend you give it a careful listen. If you have any questions for our guests or would like to recommend a guest for the Cut it Out podcast, please don't hesitate to contact the red wizard using the form below!
-The Red Wizard
10.09.21
sat. 7:27 am
earth planet
About Michael Velliquette
Michael Velliquette (American b. 1971) is an artist who makes intricately constructed paper-based sculpture. Velliquette makes use of a humble, everyday material to open a view into imagined worlds.
Velliquette redefines the unassuming nature of paper by constructing objects that convey strength, intent, and durability, but which also require conscious observation and care. They are at once abstract layers and shapes made from colored paper, and also structures that from one moment to the next suggest fortress-like constructions, tiered mandalas, or complex mechanical gears. Cut exclusively and assembled by hand, Velliquette’s works can take up to 500 hours to complete.
In his recent series of paper cuts, composed of single sheets of paper, carefully sliced and folded, the artist emphasizes the physics of light, and the way a simple fold, lifted at a variety of angles from the surface, reveals myriad shadows, forms, and openings. Like his larger constructions, the paper cut works retain a mandala-like quality, as if carved in relief on a panel of a door or a box. Where the more built-up sculptures capitalize on the material’s strength, flexibility, and capacity to be easily molded, the paper cuts are pared down, vulnerable, fleshy in comparison. Thus we are invited to consider the surface and material thinness of the paper itself, where every detail of every incision is distinguishable, and there’s little telling what mysteries lie beyond.
A working artist for 20 years, Michael Velliquette has participated in over 150 exhibitions in museums and galleries in the US, Europe and Asia. His work is in the permanent collections of the Chazen Museum of Art; the Art Museum of South Texas; the Racine Art Museum; The Progressive Corporation; The West Bend Insurance Collection; The Abroms-Engels Institute for the Visual Arts; The Linda Pace Foundation; Boston Children's Hospital; The Pratt Institute Libraries; The John Michael Kohler Art Center; and The Microsoft Collection.
He has participated in residencies and cultural exchange programs including the Artpace International Artist-in-Residence; the SIM Residency, Reykjavik; the John Michael Kohler Art/Industry program; and EUARCA, Kassel, Germany.
In 2021 he was an artist resident at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.
He received his BFA from the Florida State University-1993, and his MA & MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison-2000.
As an educator, Velliquette is on faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he teaches courses in visual literacy and creative practice. He also teaches workshops on the paper arts and was recently a visiting instructor at the Haystack Mountain School of Craft and the Pocosin School of Fine Craft.
He is a member of the Guild of American Papercutters and the Paper Artist Collective—a global community of artists and designers dedicated to the medium of paper.
His work has been featured in numerous print and online publications including Colossal, Time Out New York and The New York Times. He has been included in several compendiums on paper art produced by such publishers as Thames & Hudson, Gestalten, Sandu, Lark Crafts, Hightone Books.
Two color monographs are available on his work titled Michael Velliquette: Lairs of the Unconscious (2012) and Michael Velliquette: What We Are Looking For is What is Looking (2017).
He lives in Madison, WI with his husband Tehshik Yoon, a professor of organic chemistry.