About the workshop

Immerse yourself in the ancient art of papermaking while exploring the Mississippi River through an innovative deep-mapping experience. In this three-day workshop, participants will journey beyond traditional cartography to create a nuanced, multi-layered understanding of place through hands-on creativity. You'll learn to transform native plant matter like cattails into handmade paper, embark on a guided canoe tour from Prairie Island through the Mississippi backwaters to collect natural materials, and document your river experience through sketches and printmaking. The workshop combines practical skills—pulp painting, casting, and printing with a portable press—with ecological awareness and place-based storytelling inspired by works like William Least Heat-Moon’s "PrairyErth." Each participant will create a unique handmade book incorporating their paper samples, river sketches, and personal deep-mapping elements, forming a tangible memory of their connection to this vital waterway. No previous papermaking or paddling experience required—just bring your curiosity and readiness to engage with the river landscape in new and meaningful ways.

What is a "deep map"? Here is a relatively straightforward definition from David Bodenhamer:

"Applying GIS to the humanities is complex. Traditional GIS cannot easily represent uncertainty, ambiguity, emotion, metaphor, or other dynamic attributes of interest to humanists who seek to combine space, time, and place. Deep maps offer a solution.

A deep map is a detailed, multimedia depiction of a place and all that exists within it. It is not strictly tangible; it also includes emotion and meaning. A deep map is both a process and a product – a creative space that is visual, open, multi-layered, and ever changing. Where traditional maps serve as statements, deep maps serve as conversations."

About the instructor

Hannah Demma is a multimedia artist specializing in papermaking. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2017, with an emphasis on printmaking and her Masters in Fine Art at her alma mater in 2022.

In 2018 Hannah received a Mayor’s Art Award and during her MFA she was the recipient of the Dan and Barbara Howard Creative Achievement Award (2021) and the Francis William Vreeland Award in Art (2022). Hannah received Best in Show awards at the Lincoln Arts Festival in 2022 and again in 2023, as well as Best in Show at the Sioux City Art Festival in 2023. She served as coordinator for the Cedar Point Biological Station artist residency and Art Adventure camp from 2017-2023 and Executive Director at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center, an artist residency program in Nebraska City, NE From 2023-2024.

Hannah currently works as a papermaker and papermaking instructor at Constellation Studios, as an Artist Liaison for the Lux Center for the Arts and is the 2025 Artist-in-Residence at the Cornhusker Marriott Hotel, all in Lincoln, NE.

In addition to her roles in the local arts community, Hannah has maintained a busy studio practice as well as lecture and exhibition schedules and looks forward to expanding her studio practice to include new mediums and collaborations.

Artist Statement

Paper, for me, is a boundless material—an embodiment of possibility. As a papermaker, I engage in a direct, intimate conversation with my materials, exploring their inherent qualities and potential. The process begins with the selection of fibers, each one bringing its own texture, weight, and character. From there, I shape the pulp through varied beating times, additives, and pigmentation, all before even touching a sheet with pencil, paint, or x-acto knife. The act of sheet-forming offers further layers of complexity, where I experiment with hundreds of techniques, inviting variation at every turn.

Repetition, labor, and time are integral to my practice. Papermaking is a meditative, arguably monotonous process, and it is in this repetition that I find connection—to the material, to the past, and to the people who have practiced this craft before me. The act of making becomes a way to slow down, immerse myself in the rhythm of the work, and deepen my relationship with the world around me. There is a calming effect in this labor, akin to the peace of a quiet walk through the woods.

Visually, my work draws inspiration from the geometric patterns found in quilts and vintage textiles, as well as patterns that emerge in the natural world. I embrace a playful, intuitive approach, allowing the materials and forms to evolve naturally as I work. The interaction of color and shape unfolds with a sense of freedom, where each decision builds on the last, creating a dynamic and organic dialogue between the elements on the page.

At its core, my current work reflects my own approach to life—curious, empathetic, and infused with a sense of wonder and play. I am particularly drawn to the relational worldview of animism, which suggests that not only humans and animals, but also objects and places, possess a spiritual essence. I think about the vibrant energy of the materials I use—the living, breathing fibers—and how this vitality translates into the final forms. The rhythms of bright color, the imperfect patterns, and the dynamic interaction of shapes feel alive to me, as though the work has its own agency and intention.

Through this practice, I strive to honor the material, the process, and the unseen forces that connect us all. Each piece is an exploration of possibility, a celebration of the quiet power that emerges through slow, deliberate creation.