Oct 08 to Dec 23, 2020

Paper Routes, the sixth installment in NMWA’s Women to Watch exhibition series, showcases contemporary artists working in paper. The exhibition series is presented every two to three years and is a dynamic collaboration between the museum and participating outreach committees. The 22 committees participating in this exhibition worked with curators in their respective regions to create shortlists of artists working with paper. From this list, NMWA curators selected the artists whose work is on view in Paper Routes.

Featured artists in Paper Routes respond to the many uses and cultural associations of paper—from protest signs to packaging, lottery tickets, and wallpaper—approaching the medium in varied ways. Some highlight the delicate properties of paper through meticulous cuts, resulting in elaborate forms, patterns, and designs. Others compact and consolidate the material, forming surprisingly dense and monumental sculptures. Artists rely on traditional as well as innovative techniques. Paper Routes highlights and celebrates this diversity of approaches and the transformation of this ubiquitous and eclectic material into complex works of art.

The exhibition features works by Jen Aitken (representing the museum’s committee in Canada), Elizabeth Alexander (Massachusetts), Natasha Bowdoin (Texas), Mira Burack (New Mexico), Elisabetta Di Maggio (Italy), Oasa DuVerney (New York), Mary Evans (United Kingdom), Rachel Farbiarz (Mid-Atlantic Region), Dolores Furtado (Argentina), Angela Glajcar (Germany), Dalila Gonçalves (Portugal), Julia Goodman (Northern California), Joli Livaudais (Arkansas), Annie Lopez (Arizona), Paola Podestá Martí (Chile), Echiko Ohira (Southern California), Luisa Pastor (Spain), Sa’dia Rehman (Ohio), Natalia Revilla (Peru), Lucha Rodríguez (Georgia), Georgia Russell (France), and Hyeyoung Shin (Greater Kansas City).

A sleeveless rich blue full-length gown placed on a headless black mannequin with rounded base. The dress has white text and images printed on the surface.

Annie Lopez, The Liberation of Glycerine, 2016; Cyanotype on tamale wrapper paper, thread, zipper, and metal buckle, 51 x 48 x 52 in.; Collection of Eric Jungermann; Photo by Katie Jones-Weinert, Tucson Museum of Art

Exhibition Sponsors

Paper Routes—Women to Watch 2020 is organized by the National Museum of Women in the Arts and sponsored by participating committees in Argentina, Arizona, Arkansas, Northern California, Southern California, Canada, Chile, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, the Greater Kansas City Area, Massachusetts, the Mid-Atlantic Region, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Texas, and the United Kingdom.

The exhibition is made possible by Northern Trust with additional funding provided by the Clara M. Lovett Emerging Artists Fund and the Sue J. Henry and Carter G. Phillips Exhibition Fund. Further support is provided by Bayer AG, the Council for Canadian American Relations, Luso-American Development Foundation, and the French-American Cultural Foundation.

The museum extends appreciation to the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Embassy of Italy with the Italian Cultural Institute in Washington, D.C.; and the Embassy of Peru in the U.S.

Special thanks to the Mississippi State Committee and San Francisco Advocacy for NMWA for their support of the Paper Routes catalogue.

Exhibition Gallery

Vibrantly colored strokes of watercolor in shades of magenta, orange, and yellow, flow across white paper, giving the impression of waves. — Lucha Rodríguez, *Knife Drawing XX*, 2018; Watercolor on paper, 30 x 22 in.; Courtesy of the artist; Photo by Paco Vergachette

A thin ink drawing of a woman in short black hair and sleeveless dress seen from the side with her face hidden. She extends her arms with a void space marked by burned edges to indicate the absence of the person or object that she embraces. — Natalia Revilla, Untitled, from the series “Quemados” (“Burned”), 2011; Mixed media on burned paper, 7 ½ x 6 ¼ in.; Courtesy of the artist

A beige contemporary sculpture with layers of finely cut paper stacked on top of one another getting more expansive with the bottom layers. The flexible edges of the sculpture droop and flop. — Echiko Ohira, *Untitled (paper and thread #3)*, 2016–17; Tea-stained blueprint, cardboard, thread, and glue, 39 x 39 x 11 in.; Courtesy of the artist; Photo by Gene Ogami

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Related Media

Online Exhibition

Detail view of delicate, white tissue paper that has been cut with intricate floral patterns which create shadows on the wall behind it.

Can't visit in person? Enjoy this online exhibition delving into the exhibition themes, plus artworks and information about each Paper Routes artist.

Explore Online Exhibition

Audio Guide

A long horizontal rectangle with small numerous figures and images collaged on the surface. Black and white figures in soldier’s uniforms stand and lay down, along with yellow and red banners, flags, and garlands.

Hear from the artists themselves in this audio guide that explores the processes and specific works of many of the artists featured in Paper Routes.

Listen to Audio Guide

Studio Tours

Title screen for Paper Routes Studio Tour videos

Explore the studios of the exhibiting artists and learn about their creative processes. Check back regularly, as new tours are being added.

View Playlist

Catalogue

Book cover features bright red stacks of crinkled paper radiating from the left side. The books title 'Paper Routes Women to Watch 2020' is in white text.

This fully illustrated catalogue features personal statements by the exhibition’s twenty-two featured artists, who turn paper into innovative, complex works of art.

Buy the Catalogue