A trio of detail photos of artwork by Nancy Cohen, Sara Garden Armstrong, and Helen Hiebert. From left to right, Cohen's work features abstract organic shapes in shades of tan and blue, Armstrong's work looks like a series of futuristic tan arteries created from industrial ducts, and Hiebert's work is a series of paper discs connected by thread.

 

Legacies in Paper: Nancy Cohen, Sara Garden Armstrong, and Helen Hiebert

September 4, 2025 - January 30, 2026 

 

Legacies in Paper is an exhibit celebrating the lifelong exploration of hand papermaking in the artworks of Nancy Cohen, Sara Garden Armstrong, and Helen Hiebert, significant pioneers in developing paper as an artistic and sculptural medium. 

In Legacies in Paper, we are proud to feature the work of three contemporary artists—Helen Hiebert, Nancy Cohen, and Sara Garden Armstrong—whose practices embody the spirit of innovation while reflecting on longstanding traditions. Each artist brings a unique voice to the medium: Hiebert’s luminous constructions explore the interplay of light and structure; Cohen’s sculptural works reflect ecological fragility and resilience; and Armstrong’s immersive environments blur the boundaries between the organic and the engineered. Together, their works speak to the transformative potential of paper—not only as a surface for expression but as a sculptural, spatial, and conceptual force. Through their hands, paper becomes a language of memory, a vessel of emotion, and a bridge between past and present.

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Close up of Nancy Cohen's Coming Through which features yellow, blue, and orange pulp painting on a olive green sheet. The yellow and blue create a diamond pattern in the upper left corner with a blue cloud like shape at the center and accents of bright orange vertical rectangles moving down the page in staggered pairs.
Close up of Sara Garden Armstrong's Layered Scrape #9 which features abstract watercolor-like brush strokes of yellow, pink, and purplish greys
Close up of Helen Hiebert's Hydrogen Bond installation which consists of paper discs connected by string
Image of an inflated paper balloon covered in multicolored circles on a white background, overlayed with a photo of artist Helen Hiebert.

Expand, Inflate, Illuminate

with Helen Hiebert 
Saturday, September 6, 2025 
10:00am - 4:00pm 

Create two illuminated paper structures in this day-long experience with internationally renowned artist Helen Hiebert. We’ll begin with the Party Light, a simplified version of the collapsible chochin lanterns originally hung outside of shops in Japan. Collage paper onto a simple reed armature and add a hanging mechanism so that your lantern can be hung, carried, or placed on a surface. We’ll also create a lightweight Inflatable Ball, and we’ll explore ways to shape the panels to create a variety of lantern forms. All materials provided and all experience levels welcome. 

Headshots of Nancy Cohen, Caucasian woman with short grey hair wearing green glasses; Sara Garden Armstrong Caucasian woman with chin length blond hair in a black shirt; and Helen Hiebert, Caucasian woman with ear length silver and brown hair wearing red glasses and a blue and white striped button up shirt.
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Virtual Artist Talk

Wednesday, October 15, 2025
8:00 - 9:00pm ET

Legacies in Paper honors the dedication that Nancy Cohen, Sara Garden Armstrong, and Helen Hiebert have had to papermaking as a tool for their artistic expression. During this virtual artist talk, hear the artists discuss the trajectory of their careers, their relationship with the medium of handmade paper, and their current explorations. Registration is free and open to the public. 

Register here.
 
Image of Sara Garden Armstrong's Moraine 7, organic shapes in browns and gray layered on white cotton paper, overlayed with a headshot of the artist.

Expanded Landscapes

with Sara Garden Armstrong 
Saturday, November 8, 2025
10:00am - 4:00pm

Sara Garden Armstrong, an internationally renowned artist whose exhibiting career and studio work with handmade paper processes spans over 50 years, leads this one-day program. The workshop begins with a brief introduction to Armstrong’s work, with hands-on examples. Then participants will focus on learning, observing, and making unique paper objects to explore the processes of pigment staining, pulp-pouring, pulp painting, and collage techniques on pre-formed sheets of paper. Technical information and recipes about sizing, pulp beating and experimenting with different fibers will be addressed.

Register here. 
View of the gallery entrance. The title wall announcing "Legacies in Paper: Nancy Cohen, Sara Garden Armstrong, and Helen Hiebert" is visible, along with three iPad stanchions.
Gallery view of a wall with one piece of all three artists' work. On the left, Helen Hiebert's Line Dried, three dried abaca dress forms. In the middle, Nancy Cohen's Espiritu Santo, a large scale paper tapestry in blues and yellows. On the right, Sara Garden Armstrong's Overtures 5 and 6, light brown sculptural pieces that have curved forms and ribbed textures.
Gallery view of Helen Hiebert's work. From left to right, Same/Not Same, six paper and thread drawings, and a table displaying the Specimens series.
Gallery view of Sara Garden Armstrong's work. On the left is Structured Mapping 5, a large scale painting featuring organic orange, yellow and green forms on a white background. On the right, Figure Form 7, a large, white, bean-shaped textured abaca sculpture, illuminated from behind.
Gallery view of Hiebert's Same/Not Same. 39 colorful abaca forms arranged in a 13 by 3 grid.
Gallery view of Nancy Cohen's works. On the far wall: an orange and green paper and wire sculpture, illuminated from within and a large blue pulp paper tapestry with looping green forms and orange splotches. On the right wall is a smaller paper tapestry in multiple shades of red, and two wire and paper sculptures.
Gallery view of Sara Garden Armstrong's work, Airplayers XIX. Several textured, palm-like forms are suspended from the ceiling and attached to the walls. Some are illuminated with warm light from behind; a blue and purple projection is overlayed on the forms.
Gallery view. On the left, Helen Hiebert's Specimens series, a collection of shrunken abaca experiments, displayed on a table. On the right, a video screen displaying the film the Secret Life of Paper.
Gallery view of Nancy Cohen's works. From left to right: Dividing Line, a large yellow pulp painting with blue spirals; The Meaning of Wings, a series of colorful, wing-like glass forms, suspended in an alcove; and Topography of a Storm, a large deep red pulp painting with organic red lines and angular black lines.