Firsthand Experience: Paper-Cutting

Explore the art of paper-cutting in a hands-on workshop with Janelle Washington, an accomplished paper-cut and silhouette artist and an award-winning picture book illustrator whose practice explores themes of Black culture, history, identity, family, and beauty. Washington will introduce paper-cut techniques and guide participants in creating their own designs. Art supplies provided; no experience necessary. For ages 13 and older. $25 general; $22 students/seniors/DC residents; $20 NMWA members. Reservations required.  

Firsthand Experience workshops bring contemporary artists together with learners ages 13 and older for hands-on programs that combine making, gallery conversations, and discovery.

About the Artist Instructor: Janelle Washington is an accomplished paper-cut and silhouette artist and an award-winning picture book illustrator. She uses the medium to explore Black culture, history, identity, family, and feminine beauty themes. Washington graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a BFA in fashion design and was a children’s wear designer for 12 years before discovering the creative possibilities of paper cutting. Her silhouettes have been commissioned by the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC, and published in Oprah magazine. She has produced installations at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia. Washington debuted as a picture book illustrator with Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement (2022), which won the 2023 Caldecott Honor Award and the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award. Her first book, Heart of the Home, will be released in fall 2026.

Questions? Email education@nmwa.org.

https://nmwa.org/whats-on/calendar/firsthand-experience-paper-cutting/

Photo caption: Artist Janelle Washington with her intricate black paper cut, I’ve Got the World on a String (2017), inspired by the Ella Fitzgerald song. Photo by Class and Style Productions.