Program brings paper-cutting to Frazier students
PERRYOPOLIS – A cultural tradition from around the world is making its way into Perry and Central elementary schools in the Frazier School District. The art of paper-cutting is being introduced to students in kindergarten through fifth grade under the artist-in-residency program sponsored by the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art (SAMA).
Kathy Reed, a paper-cutting artist from Somerset County, is teaching the two-week program at each school. The purpose of the program is to provide rural school districts statewide with in-school art presentations by professional artists.
The program began at Perry on Sept. 16 and will continue at Central from Nov. 8-22. In addition to Reed, a second artist is also being featured at each school beginning on Monday. This is the second year for the program at the elementaries, where Reed is showing students the various ways to work with paper and how it is sometimes influenced by different traditions.
According to Reed, paper-cutting was considered an old folk art. “Sometimes people would decorate their homes with it,” said Reed.
Unlike a lot of other media, Reed said paper-cutting is non-toxic and can also be adapted to all ages. It is also an inexpensive hobby. “Some people choose paint, I choose paper,” Reed added.
Reed started her first session at Perry Elementary, primarily working with the fifth graders who serve as the “core group” of the program since they work directly with her through hands-on instruction.
For Reed, art is a way to express what a person sees. “With paper-cutting you make a lot of connections,” said Reed.
From an academic standpoint, Reed said art relates to every subject. When a child is involved in art, Reed said they are more receptive to academics.
As a retired high school teacher with the U.S. Department of Defense, Reed became interested in paper-cutting while she was living overseas with her husband, who is also a retired teacher. Reed said during her tenure, she resided in the Philippines for 20 years and in Germany for seven years.
“I saw different cultures doing different things with paper,” said Reed, who then incorporated her interest into the classroom.
Reed added that she became more aware of paper-cutting from a friend who was a paper-cutter. Once Reed took an interest to the art, she joined the Paper Cutters Guild of America, an international club with about 500 members.
Reed said she has been with SAMA going on five years. All of Reed’s designs are original, in which she uses scissors or an X-acto knife to cut various pictures from folded paper.
Some of her pictures even take on a 3-D effect, while others reveal integral cutting such as tiny raindrops in a rendition of Noah’s Ark. “Taking parts away and letting other parts stay there makes the picture,” said Reed.
Ken Meadows, elementary principal, said the artist-in-residency program enables the students to experience something as simple as using a pair of scissors.
Although the teachers at Perry and Central incorporate art into their classrooms, Meadows added that SAMA provides students with more than basic activities of the subject.