In-crease your artistic abilities at paper arts festival

It’s a good idea to book your spots early for the 27th Newport Paper and Book Arts Festival taking place this spring at the Newport Visual Arts Center.

Registration opens on Saturday, Jan. 27, at 9 am, and, historically, most registrations happen within the first few hours and popular workshops fill quickly.

One of the largest events of its kind on the West Coast, the festival is a celebration of papermaking and manipulation, surface design, book arts, collage and mixed media.

The 2024 festival will take place in Newport and the surrounding communities April 11 through 13, and feature 12 unique one- and two-day workshops led by 10 talented instructors from throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

Workshops include Botanical Print and Natural Dye with Casey Newman of Gresham; Eco Print and Natural Dye with Chris Bentley of Corvallis; Mixed Media with Glenda Goodrich of Salem; and Fiber and Natural Coloring with Iris Sullivan Daire of Astoria.

In addition to the learning opportunities the festival provides, participants also look forward to camaraderie and fellowship. In fact, many have now been attending for 20 years or more.

“We are very fortunate to have a group of committed participants and instructors,” said Festival Coordinator Sara Siggelkow. “However, this year we have worked hard to find workshops that will appeal to a wider swath, including those who may not have participated in a paper and book arts festival previously.”

To view full workshop information and a schedule, go to coastarts.org.