Wednesday, Nov 8, 2017
'Into the Fray' gives participants a unique way to honor veterans
by Tracey McCarthy
A military uniform can come to represent the transformative experience active duty service personnel undergo while serving. Memories of where it was worn, when it was issued and the journeys taken in it become encoded into the uniform’s fibers.
Frontline Arts helps veterans deconstruct their uniform and its associations into something new and inspirational through the transformation of military uniforms into handcrafted paper.
On Nov. 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Bart Luedeke Center patio outside the Pub, Rider University will honor veterans by hosting Frontline Arts for Into the Fray, an event that provides participants with prepared paper already crafted from uniforms to be transformed into works of art.
The steps involved in creating paper include: liberating the fiber by cutting it down into small pieces, using water to circulate the fiber/water mixture and pounding it between two metal surfaces to break the weave of the material down to individual plant fibers. This becomes the pulp. Then a mold and deckle are used to form the sheet of paper by hand, and the paper is pressed and dried.
All the paper that the veterans make is theirs to keep and becomes a portrait of those who wore the uniform.
David Keefe of Frontline Arts says, “We are very excited to engage with Rider University and connect the veteran and non-veteran communities on campus through transforming military uniforms into handmade paper.”
Veterans interested in converting their own uniforms to art can sign up at the Into the Fray event or contact Frontline arts at 908-725-2110 or visit www.frontlinearts.org. Veterans are also welcome to stop by their free Frontline Paper workshops, every Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at Frontline Arts Studio, 440 River Road, Branchburg, NJ 08876.