Via Vitrum

Via Vitrum
Glass City Center, Toledo Ohio
Installed March 2024

Commissioned by The Arts Commission of Toledo

Inspired by both the physical landscape and the history of the area, this
sculpture flows along the corridor wall of the Summit Street Concourse. The
meandering form is composed of multiple shapes that travel through the
space, reflecting light and color with its leisurely, kinetic motion.

Translucent discs hang at varying heights from nearly invisible braided steel cables,
supported by the artful steel structure fabricated by Knoxville, TN-based artist
Karly Stribling, owner of Soil & Steel. The molecular structure of glass (SiO2)
becomes a decorative pattern when screen-printed into the polycarbonate discs,
creating an additional layer of texture on the surface.

As the viewer follows along the corridor, they will notice that the shapes
subtly evolve from hard-angle pentagons to more rounded polygons. This
progression is a nod to the industrial history of Toledo, as well as a look
forward to the future of technology coming out of the Glass City.

The movement of the form undulates like water carving through stone.
With the view of this sculpture facing the Maumee River, there is a strong
connection between the interior space of the Glass City Center and
surrounding Lucas County. The Glass City Center is seen as a convergence
of ideas from all over the world, sparking innovation that has impacts
beyond the urban core.

Thanks to Marge and Dave for installation work!

All steel work was artfully done by Karly Stribling of Soil and Steel.

Artist-in-Nature Exhibition

Join us for the Contemporary Arts Center’s second annual Artist-in-Nature Exhibition in partnership with Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, hosted by MadTree Brewing.

Art and science collide through this two-week exhibition. Nine local artists spent the summer learning about low-impact art making and were tasked with creating an original piece that reflected their understanding of environmental issues and solutions in the Queen City. This year’s theme is Origins, where artists were conscious about the materials used in their pieces including using native, invasive, old, new, natural, synthetic, recycled, and upcycled materials. 

“Watershed”

Jessica Wolf

Plastic bottles collected from the Mill Creek and surrounding watershed area, plastic bottle lids, dye made from acorns, hardboard, string, glass beads, and light. 24 x 24 x 28”

The origins of this piece began along the banks of the Mill Creek, a short 500 feet from my front door. Due to industrial dumping since the founding of Cincinnati, the creek was once dubbed the most polluted stream in the United States. While there have been drastic improvements in recent years, the creek is still a long way from being healthy and safe. After spending the day gathering litter from the banks of the Mill Creek, the ubiquitousness of single-use plastics has been at the front of my mind. Any litter discarded in the Watershed area has the potential of becoming a water pollutant in this already struggling stream.

I gathered these materials (ironically, mostly water bottles), then sanitized and manipulated them into flowing, water-like forms. The ombre of crystal clear to murky brown in the sculpture speaks to the on-going recovery of this waterway. Representing a hopeful outlook on the future of Mill Creek, the light of the chandelier is both practical and inspirational.

Resources

Mill Creek Alliance

The mission of the Alliance is to empower Mill Creek communities to protect and enhance the value of the Mill Creek, its tributaries, and watershed. Through inclusive, meaningful community engagement and collaborative action, the Alliance strives to create a Mill Creek watershed that is a healthy ecosystem where people and communities can thrive. Get involved here!

Break Free From Plastic

Cincinnati Refilleries

BLINK 2019

Oh my goodness, do I love my city.

For a Midwest city of its size, Cincinnati is growing into a beacon of Arts and Culture, and was best put on display over the last weekend as the city transformed into a brilliant array of art and light. BLINK drew well over a million folks who explored projection mapping, murals, sculptures, and interactive light displays from Findlay Market to Covington. The entire vibe of the city was electric. I kept pinching myself all weekend, humbled and honored to have the chance to create one of those experiences.

Elm St

My sculpture, Arborealis, was tucked away in a quiet alley near Findlay Market. Consisting of over 3,000 paper leaves, 12 LED lights, and a soothing recording of crickets and frogs, the piece invited viewers to experience the calm and peacefulness of nature. The wind rustled through the leaves and a multitude of colored light slowly shifted through the rainbow. Looking closer, the visitors start to notice that the leaves are populated with critters; frogs, spiders, geckos, butterflies… glistening at certain angles as the iridescent film catches the light.

arborealis
frog

The absolute highlight of the weekend was receiving a message from my friend Lizz Godfroy, who happened to be walking by my installation as a couple was getting married under it! She sent photos, which I shared online, and the story quickly spread. I was moved to tears when I first saw this. What a massive compliment that they would choose an environment that I created for one of the most precious moments of their lives. Let’s all wish Kaitlan and David many happy years together!

photo by Lizz Godfroy

photo by Lizz Godfroy

The whole experience of BLINK was amazing. You must check out many of the other incredible works of art that invaded Cincinnati, and look forward to the next one!

Many THANKS to the following folks… it couldn’t have come together without you!!

  • Kerensa Juniper; my steady and faithful stringer of leaves

  • Denise Beauchamp, Jessica Brown, Amy Gable, and Judi Vermillion; gracious studio helpers

  • Liz Miller of ArtWorks; incredibly organized project manager and constant supporter

  • ArtWorks volunteers; for last-minute painting, and heavy lifting

  • My husband, Adam; keeper of sanity, holding down the fort during my long days and late nights, assisting in the installation, …and smooches

  • Marge Adkins; (Mom), always checking in, taking care of things behind the scenes

  • Dave Adkins; What would I do without Dad? Engineering prowess, leading the installation, and devoted cheerleader <3

Check out some more Arborealis photos here!

arborealis artist

Crafty Party!

Oh. My. Goodness. Paper Acorn's Crafty Party on June 26 was a smash! High fives to Sarah for hosting us in her awesome cross stitch shop, The Hoop & Needle. And thanks so much to all the folks who came to test out my DIY papercrafting kits. I learned so much about how people use the kits, and was AMAZED at the fun and creativity they all added to make each piece truly their own! 

&nbsp;I mean seriously... this guy.

 I mean seriously... this guy.

Now I'm taking what I learned, making a few tweaks, and hope to host another party in the near future. Sign up for the mailing list if you'd like to be kept in the loop for future events!

And if you want to see the rest of the awesomeness that took place at the party, head over to my flickr album here.

See y'all around!

* We make it simple. You make it awesome. *

Introducing... Mr. Hedgehog!!

He's here! He's here! Mr. Hedgehog is finally making his debut, and just in time for National Craft Month!

After several rounds of prototypes, I'm just thrilled to get this little guy out into the world. Like many of Paper Acorn's designs, he's not just adorable, he's also a box! The bottom opens up to store tiny treasures, or to give small gifts! (It's actually the perfect size for a gift card.) Mr. Hedgehog stands about 4.5" tall is about 3.25" wide. He's available fully assembled or as a DIY papercrafting kit. He'd look great as party favors for a woodland-themed birthday!

I hope you all enjoy him as much as I enjoyed creating him! <3


Hello, 2016!

Wow, we're just nearing the end of January and 2016 is already rockin' our socks off!

If you've been keeping track, you'll remember that we ended 2015 by wrapping up the First Batch program in mid-November and then jumping straight into the busiest and BEST holiday show season to date! Many great things came out of First Batch and even though it's frosty outside, we're starting to enjoy the fruits of that labor. These fruits include a large run of our Autumn 2015 collection of DIY papercrafting kits. (The acorn, bird, and squirrel.) Stepping up production has allowed us to seek out wholesale accounts and our retail venues continue to grow! You can find our current stockists here. Are you interested in carrying Paper Acorn kits in your shop? Take a gander at our wholesale catalog here.

And look at what's been brewing in the studio... New designs for spring! Mr. Bunny will be available just in time for Easter, and (ermahgerd) I am just giddy over this Hedgehog. More designs are in the works that will include some other springtime critters. (Ribbit?)

Keep up to date on all of the happenings in the Paper Acorn studio, as well as deals and fun freebies by signing up for the mailing list! 


Exciting News!

Hello, friends! I've got something fun to share with you.

If you've been following Paper Acorn for the last few months, you may have noticed more and more of the DIY kits being introduced. This is something that has been in the works for nearly a year, and I've been looking to expand this area of the business.

In order to take that next step, I applied to a business accelerator program here in Cincinnati called First Batch. A couple of weeks ago I was notified that Paper Acorn has been accepted into the 2015 program! For the next five months, I'll have the opportunity to work in their prototyping workshop, get connected to manufacturing companies, receive funding to invest in the manufacturing process, and work under the mentorship of  professionals in areas of branding, finance, legal, wholesale, and more! All of the participants (5 of us total, representing 4 businesses) will also get to take part in a 9-week business development program called Co.Starters. 

As you can imagine, I am beyond excited to be a part of this program, and I can't wait to see what the coming months will hold for Paper Acorn!

Don't worry, you'll still see me at all of the usual craft show venues around the tri-state area, and I'm always happy to take on custom work! 

Keep crafting!

 

First Batch Workshop

First Batch Workshop

Friday Update

Happy Friday friends!

It's been a busy and fun couple of weeks! Saturday was another fantastic Crafty Supermarket! I almost feel like a skipping record every time I say it... but that show is seriously the best ever. Don't be bummed if you missed it - just mark your calendar for the holiday show on November 28 at Music Hall!

Some of you may have caught me on the Fox Morning Show the week before Crafty, showing Frank Marzullo how to put together a robot box from my DIY kit. So fun! (With awkward robot noises...)

And speaking of the kits, have you purchased one or received one as a gift? I'd love to see how your creations turned out! Please snap a photo and share it on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag: #paperacorndiy Go you! 

Tomorrow Paper Acorn is heading off to Bloomington Indiana for the spring Bloomington Handmade Market. (By the way, you can keep up to date with all of Paper Acorn's events here.) As always, I'm looking forward to seeing my Indy folks!

 

And now for some Friday fun... Witness The Amazing Speedy Fingers!!  

 

Welcome to the new site!

Ooh, it's all shiny and new! I feel like I should ask you to take your shoes off... But really, just make yourself comfortable. Coffee? Tea? Wine? How's about a little tour of the site menu? Right this way...

DESIGN - Find your options for paper colors and fonts, as well as inspiration from photos of other events. 

SHOP - Browse around the new sleek and stream-lined shop... and fill up that cart!

BLOG - Check back here periodically to see what's happening in the studio.

CONTACT - Need to ask a question or send a suggestion? Hit me up!

ABOUT - Just a little thing I wrote, in case you're interested, about the beginnings of Paper Acorn.

EVENTS - You guessed it. It's a chronological list of the shows and events where you'll be able to find me.

So that's about it... I'm excited to start this new year of Paper Acorn! Lots of fun things are in the works and I can't wait to share them with you!