Paper Marbling: Art, History, Science [Durham, NC]

from $25.00

**This course is in-person only. There is no virtual component. Participants must be age 21+

Full Tuition: $225 — Sliding-scale tuition options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select. To pay in installments, choose PayPal or Klarna at check out.

This 3-week class examines paper marbling as both a material practice and a lens for thinking across art, science, and cultural history. We will situate marbling within its transnational trajectory—from Japan to Turkey to Italy—considering how local materials, craft lineages, and environmental conditions shaped distinct techniques and aesthetics. In parallel, we will analyze the underlying physics of surface tension and fluid motion, drawing connections to contemporary environmental phenomena such as pollutant dispersion and oil spill dynamics.

Participants will engage directly in the process by creating their own marbled paper using traditional methods, treating the activity as both an artistic exercise and an informal experiment in fluid behavior. The session also considers the continuity of these practices through families and workshops that sustain marbling traditions across generations, raising questions about preservation, transmission, and cultural labor.

This course integrates hands-on making with critical discussion, offering a structured way to interpret everyday physical phenomena while situating them within broader cultural and historical contexts.

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The Fine Print:

Gift certificates may only be redeemed at the full tuition tier.

SLIDING SCALE TUITION

Full tuition is the cost per-student of running the class. If you choose a tier below full tuition, you are receiving a discount. If you choose to make a donation in addition to full tuition, you are helping to cover the cost for students who are not able to pay the full amount.

The mid-level tier is a discounted rate for people whose household income is at or above living wage but who have limited discretionary income.

The low-level tier and the full-scholarship tier are for people whose household income is below living wage or who need extra assistance to meet their needs.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Through our fundraising efforts, we are able to offer three full scholarships per class. The full-scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering. Each student may only take one full-scholarship class at a time. Because our scholarship funding is limited, if a student selects multiple overlapping classes at the full-scholarship level, they will be disenrolled from all classes.

All sliding-scale and scholarship needs are self-assessed, and we will never request or require proof of need.

Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans, refund policy, and sick and inclement weather policy.

Sliding-Scale Tuition:

**This course is in-person only. There is no virtual component. Participants must be age 21+

Full Tuition: $225 — Sliding-scale tuition options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select. To pay in installments, choose PayPal or Klarna at check out.

This 3-week class examines paper marbling as both a material practice and a lens for thinking across art, science, and cultural history. We will situate marbling within its transnational trajectory—from Japan to Turkey to Italy—considering how local materials, craft lineages, and environmental conditions shaped distinct techniques and aesthetics. In parallel, we will analyze the underlying physics of surface tension and fluid motion, drawing connections to contemporary environmental phenomena such as pollutant dispersion and oil spill dynamics.

Participants will engage directly in the process by creating their own marbled paper using traditional methods, treating the activity as both an artistic exercise and an informal experiment in fluid behavior. The session also considers the continuity of these practices through families and workshops that sustain marbling traditions across generations, raising questions about preservation, transmission, and cultural labor.

This course integrates hands-on making with critical discussion, offering a structured way to interpret everyday physical phenomena while situating them within broader cultural and historical contexts.

—

The Fine Print:

Gift certificates may only be redeemed at the full tuition tier.

SLIDING SCALE TUITION

Full tuition is the cost per-student of running the class. If you choose a tier below full tuition, you are receiving a discount. If you choose to make a donation in addition to full tuition, you are helping to cover the cost for students who are not able to pay the full amount.

The mid-level tier is a discounted rate for people whose household income is at or above living wage but who have limited discretionary income.

The low-level tier and the full-scholarship tier are for people whose household income is below living wage or who need extra assistance to meet their needs.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Through our fundraising efforts, we are able to offer three full scholarships per class. The full-scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering. Each student may only take one full-scholarship class at a time. Because our scholarship funding is limited, if a student selects multiple overlapping classes at the full-scholarship level, they will be disenrolled from all classes.

All sliding-scale and scholarship needs are self-assessed, and we will never request or require proof of need.

Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans, refund policy, and sick and inclement weather policy.