Making Hanji: Hands-On Korean Paper Workshop

You must register in advance. If the workshop is sold out, you can still join the standby line. People in the standby line can take the place of registrants who do not show up on a first-come, first-served basis.

In this hands-on workshop, learn about hanji, the traditional handmade paper of Korea. Made from the inner bark of the mulberry tree using techniques passed down for generations, hanji is celebrated for its remarkable durability, natural texture, and beauty. Historically used for books, windows, clothing, and decorative arts, hanji remains an important part of Korean cultural heritage and continues to inspire contemporary artists and craftspeople around the world.

Led by artist LEE Seung-Chul, learn traditional hanji-making techniques while creating your own handcrafted postcards using hanji. This workshop offers an opportunity to explore the sustainability, material sensitivity, and adaptability of hanji within both historical and contemporary contexts.

All supplies will be provided. This workshop will take place in Korean with consecutive interpretation in English.

About LEE Seung-Chul
LEE Seung-Chul is an artist who expands traditional Korean art materials into the language of contemporary art. For over three decades, he has researched hanji and natural dyeing, exploring the material qualities, passage of time, and color transformations inherent in natural materials. Rather than simply reproducing tradition, he investigates how hanji and natural pigments change, accumulate, and endure over time, visualizing ideas of preservation, loss, memory, and continuity.

His work is grounded in extensive research on color reconstruction and material experimentation developed through cultural heritage conservation. LEE has also contributed to international forums on the diversity and future of hanji, with presentations and programs at institutions including the Cité internationale des arts in Paris, the Louvre Museum, ICPAL in Rome, the Vatican Museums, and Fabriano, Italy. His practice brings together research, education, and artistic production.

This program is supported by and presented in cooperation with the Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C., and the Dongduk Women’s University.

Image credits: Artworks in background © LEE, Seung-Chul. Photo: Courtesy of the artist