APPEALS

The Paper Road/Tibet Project

is a project of the Crossing Over Consortium, Inc. devoted to:

1. Researching traditional papermaking and book arts
2. Revitalizing traditional Tibetan hand papermaking by providing training for teachers and students in Tibet through our partnership with the Jatson Chumig Special Welfare School in Lhasa
3. Promoting environmental responsibility by introducing the recycling of waste paper and the use of agricultural alternatives to the traditional Tibetan papermaking fibers
   

Paper Road/Tibet has worked with Tibetan Handicraft Industry, Kathmandu,since 1995, assisting the introduction of their products in the United States while encouraging their emphasis on traditional Tibetan design.

Organized by a group of four individuals from throughout the United States, the Paper Road/Tibet Project has received funding from the Ambassador's Fund, Embassy of Canada to Beijing; the Everest Environmental Project, The Cottonwood Foundation, the Threshold Foundation, two anonymous foundations and individual contributions.

About PRT's "parent" organization:

Crossing Over Consortium, Inc. is a non-profit for international exchange and education about prints, papermaking and the book arts that was established by the individuals involved in the overseas exhibition, Crossing Over/Changing Places. The exhibition, organized by Jane M. Farmer, featured the artwork that resulted from collaborations in the four mid-Atlantic non-profit projects that are represented in the Consortium. The exhibition traveled to 21 venues in 14 European countries. Artists and facilitators were sent to nearly every venue to conduct collaborative workshops with local artists. Artists were brought from the Czech republic, the Republic of Slovenia, the Republic of Croatia, the Republic of Bulgaria, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Estonia, Finland, the Republic of Hungary and Greece to participate in programs and in collaborative art projects in the four US projects. The final venue, in October-November, 1997 at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC included artworks representing the exchange collaborations in Europe and America and featured a collaborative print and paper workshop set up in the galleries to conduct collaborative workshops for Washington area students ranging from elementary school to university level. The exhibition and exchange was funded, in large part by the United States Information Agency as well as by the Trust for Mutual Understanding, the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency and by other private foundations and individuals. Crossing Over Consortium, Inc. is currently organizing an international conference and publication on the use of hand papermaking as a micro-enterprise tool.

About Tibetan Handicraft Industry:

Tibetan Handicraft Industry, based in Kathmandu, Nepal uses traditional fibers from the daphne family to make the sheets of paper in the high mountain villages on the Nepali side of the Himalaya, the same way it was made there and in Tibet for hundreds of years. At the factory in Kathmandu the sheets are dyed, block-printed and prepared to be sold as sheets or made into paper products such as journals, stationery packages, photo albums and photo frames. In the Himalayan tradition, the paper mold is floated in a pool of clear water, pulp is poured into the mold, the fibers are distribute evenly and the mold is lifted carefully out of the water. The newly formed sheet is left to dry in the sun, on the mold. The dried sheets are then prepared to be used to create the varied group of paper products marketed by THI.

Tibetan Handicraft Industry is the largest and most sophisticated papermaking company in the Tibetan exile community. Using traditional Himalayan style handmade papers from mountain villages near the border of Tibet, the company produces dyed and decorated sheets and paper products at their 25-person factory in the Dhumbari area of Kathmandu, Nepal. The three owners, Samten Lama, Nimto Sherpa and Nima Sherpa and their company are concerned about the environment and the sustainability of the harvesting of the Lokta fibers they use. A portion of the company's profits are donated to the Nepali organization that is researching and promoting sustainable harvesting of the Lhokta fibers. THI is also conscious of the importance of preserving the uniquely Tibetan aspects of their paper heritage and does so by utilizing traditional Tibetan designs in their products. The company has clients in the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States. Members of the THI staff have and will continue to serve as teachers at the Jatson Chumig Special Welfare School in Lhasa, working with members of the Paper Road/Tibet project.

Links to workshops that have been involved in the Consortium:
Lower East Side Printshop, New York City, NY

We are proud that Paper Road/Tibet began as (and remains) a grass-roots organization. Our accomplishments so far are a tribute to the many people who share our vision. Friends of the project have made many kinds of contributions for which we are grateful.

Increasingly, we are asked about ways to help the project. Our greatest need is financial. Although our success in obtaining grants is encouraging, grant money is often restricted to specific uses. We still have the continual search for funds to cover our operating expenses.We are an all-volunteer organization. As you might guess, this means a considerable contribution of our time and to some degree, personal funds. The on-going expenses of printing, postage, film, processing make a constant drain on meager re-sources. Your donations and purchases of T-shirts and paper products from our Tibetan colleagues in Kathmandu have made a crucial difference in our ability to keep the project running, and pay the expenses of travel to and from Tibet.

Many of you have been touched by the stories of the children at the Jatsun Chumig School, our partner organization in Lhasa. Some friends of Paper Road are helping by sponsoring individual students or making general contributions to the school through PR/T. The costs for the school to house and teach a Tibetan child are only $45 a month. If sponsoring a child for a whole year is too much, ask your group or club to join you to build a sponsorship. We thank the donors who have already taken this approach to helping. Gifts of medicines and supplies are also helpful.

Fund-raising events such as public or in-home slide shows are a great way to help. You can help by sharing this great project with your friends, schools and organizations. Paper Road also has a wish list of priority needs. We hope to obtain
funding for professional quality video documentation. We would also like audio recording equipment for translation of the oral histories of Tibetan papermakers. A donation of equipment, or the funding to purchase it would help us to complete the research aspect of our work.

We would love to hear what you think of the project. Your letters, ideas and contributions are necessary to continue this important work.

NOTE: Unfortunately, we were unable to recently verify contact information about this organization. If you know of contacts or another website for them, please let us know. --SLP

How to Contribute

If you would like to receive more information about contributing to Paper Road/Tibet or the handmade paper products made by Tibetan Handicraft Paper Industry in Kathmandu you can email us at info@paperroadtibet.org or visit our website at www.paperroadtibet.org.