Photo by Melissa Blackall
New York-based artist-boatbuilders Mare Liberum revive the 19th century practice of creating full-scale paper racing shells, skiffs and canoes. Popular with American boaters in the mid-to-late 1800s these low cost, lightweight and repairable watercraft were used by racing teams, explorers, sportsmen and novice urbanites attempting to escape the trappings of modern life, as part of a popular “back to nature” trend that foreshadowed an early environmentalism. Learn about the process of full-size paper boatmaking with common items from the hardware store and work along side the artists to finish their in-progress paper canoe.