Congresses
The bi-annual IAPMA Congress is an international affair for members to meet up in person from all over the world. Congresses have been held every second year since IAPMA’s founding in 1986 with only few exceptions. Organizing committees for the Congresses in different countries typically provide insight into their local paper history. During a Congress, members have the opportunity to share their knowledge of papermaking through lectures, demonstrations, workshops and panel discussions. For the Post Congress Tour trips to paper mills, artists' studios, paper factories or museums are arranged. In the Paper Market during the Congress, members can also exhibit and sell their own work according to the particular Congress program for that year. Part of the Congress programme is often a suitcase exhibition and one or more exhibitions in different venues.
28. IAPMA Congress in Shanghai
China
2025
Event Dates
The congress takes place from October 29, 2025 until November 02, 2025.
Description
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Below, please find the a tentative schedule with some of the highlights of the congress. A detailed schedule will be shared in the second quarter of 2025.
October 29, 2025: Registration, Member's Meet-up
October 30, 2025: Congress Opening
October 31, 2025: Opening of Shanghai Paper Art Bienniale
November 1, 2025: Congress Dinner
November 2, 2025: Departures
November 3 - 7, 2025: Post Congress Tour
!! THE CONGRESS DATES REFER TO CHINESE STANDART TIME ZONE (CST) SHANGHAI, CHINA.
THEME
PAPER & WATER
The IAPMA Congress 2025 titled “PAPER & WATER" will be held in the coastal city of Shanghai (China), a city between history and tradition, modernity and high tech — a city surrounded by a river to all sides, a city with trade links in the south of the Yangtze River and the East China Ocean.
Water covers more than 70% of the earth's surface and is the basis of our existence. In traditional Chinese philosophy, water represents the cycle of life as one of the five elements. With its powerful Yin energy, the element of water symbolizes purity, transformation, clarity and calm. Water symbolizes fertile life and longevity. Like flowing water, all living on this planet begins in constant motion, leading to constant change and renewal. Water is a fundamental element in nature, but also for hand papermaking and for creating works of art. The flow of water is invisible and it is important in the production and creation of handmade paper. It washes, soaks, decomposes and fuses paper fibre, raw material and allows artists to maintain the variability of their works in the creation of handmade paper and Paper Art, thus creating a variety of possibilities for Paper Art.
The cradle of paper production lies in China. The oldest paper found to date comes from tombs from the early Han dynasty (180-50 BC). In 105 AD, the Chinese minister Cai Lun described the paper manufacturing process for the first time. He used fibre from the mulberry tree, hemp waste, old fishing nets and rags, crushed them in stone mortars, dissolved them in water to form a pulp and used sieves to scoop out the later sheets in layers. Pressed, dried and smoothed, Chinese paper was not only the most important medium for writing, but also a popular decorative material. It was only centuries later that the knowledge of paper production was passed on by merchants, first to the Arab world and finally to Europe and from there to the rest of the world.
The theme of IAPMA Congress 2025 is “PAPER & WATER” which has both a historical and humanistic meaning and reflects the local nature of contemporary art creation. The theme has a multifaceted meaning, implying that IAPMA members will have a good heart in 2025, just like water flowing from all over the world to Shanghai (China).
Join us — with water and paper as companions — in Shanghai (China) for IAPMA Congress 2025!
CONGRESS REGISTRATION
Between January – July 2025
OPEN CALLS
Between October 2024 - July 2025
HOTEL BOOKINGS
A list with recommended hotels which offer special rates will be published soon below.
POST CONGRESS TOUR
The Post Congress Tour will go to Hangzhou after the IAPMA Congress, from November 3 - 7, 2025. Hangzhou is a two-hour drive from Shanghai in a region with beautiful scenery and with the reputation of “paradise on earth”. Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang Province, China's first batch of national historical and cultural cities. Hangzhou is home to humanities monuments and it is surrounded by bamboo forests and by the freshwater lake West Lake which forms together a rich natural and cultural landscape.
Hangzhou is well-known for the West Lake culture, Liangzhu culture, silk culture, Cai culture, and the ancient culture of papermaking from Bamboo. The Post Congress Tour will focus on traditional hand papermaking workshops in Fuyang, Hangzhou. Amongst others, the tour will stop at the Sizhou papermill ruins, allowing participants to experience the long history of Chinese tradition of papermaking.
Hangzhou Tourist Information:
www.ehangzhou.gov.cn
Location
SHANGHAI, CHINA
Shanghai Tourist Information:
www.meet-in-shanghai.net
Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG):
www.shanghaiairport.com
One of the Congress Exhibitions will be held at Fengxian Museum during the Shanghai Paper Art Biennale. A venue for workshops, lectures and the suitcase exhibition will be Yanzi Academy with various multifunctional rooms, wide hallways combined with light, large water carpets embedded in a modern architecture. The theme of Yanzi Academy is centered around Chinese calligraphy and philosophy (Confucius). The Paper Market will be held at Shenjia Garden.
Fengxian Museum:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSuv32IqmM4
Yanzi Academy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlbX-lM0BEk
Shenjia Garden:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzhWebeq5rg
Convenor
- Anson Ou, Curator, Shanghai Paper Art Biennale;
- Ou Xun, Director of Paper Art Specialized Committee, Shanghai Industrial Art and Design Association
INVOLVED ORGANIZATIONS
- Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts, School of Fashion Design
- Fiber Art Specialized Committee of China Arts and Crafts Association
- School of Art and Design, Shanghai Business School
- Shanghai Fengxian District Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center
- Shanghai Arts and Crafts Society
- China Handmade Paper Research Institute
SUPPORTERS
- Shanghai Fengxian District Culture and Tourism Bureau
- Shanghai Industrial Art and Design Association
- Shanghai Fengxian Museum
INTRODUCTION VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QCJnCoTClU
CONTACT
欧迅 Anson Ou, Congress Convenor
ansonou@feastsonpaper.com or gala8000@hotmail.com
Fides Linien, IAPMA President and Congress Coordinator
congress@iapma.info
27. IAPMA Congress in Dresden
Germany
2023
Event Dates
The congress took place from September 12, 2023 until September 16, 2023.
Description
PAPER ALIVE! Paper Art International
Paper fulfills a variety of roles in our world. To the casual observer, paper can be a passive, single-use substance – something easily discarded after it has served its limited or temporary function. For the artist, the longevity of paper is crucial, as it dictates the lifespan of an artwork. Finally for the paper artist, PAPER is a medium very much ALIVE – malleable, enduring, and even assertive – , and it is precisely these characteristics that we highlight during the 2023 IAPMA Congress in Dresden, PAPER ALIVE! Several congress events such as the opening and closing ceremonies, exhibitions, and some workshops will be streamed live via Zoom, Youtube and social media.
REGISTRATION FOR THE CONGRESS - CLOSED AFTER APRIL 2023
Currently, all congress tickets are sold out. In case you would like to reserve a spot on the waitlist, please register through the button 'Join Waitlist' using this link:
https://www.eventbrite.de/e/iapma-congress-2023-paper-alive-paper-art-international-registration-475630442457
- Congress fee includes access to all lectures, demonstrations, workshops, exhibitions, a boat tour, public transport ticket, and ground transportation directly related to Congress events. (Cost of the Congress Dinner is not included.)
- Accompanying Person (non-participant) fee includes access to a boat tour, public transport ticket, and ground transportation ONLY. It does not include access to lectures, demonstrations, and other non-public or limited capacity events of the Congress. (Cost of the Congress Dinner is not included.)
- The Paper Market fee is paid to reserve a table and chair(s) to sell your products for one afternoon during the Congress. Items for sale should be Handmade Paper- / Paper Art- / Book Art related. The papermarket will be open for 2 days (afternoons).
- The Congress Dinner takes place the evening of September 15, 2023, and is the closing event of the Congress. Bus transportation will be provided between hotels and the dinner venue.
HOTEL BOOKINGS - CLOSED AFTER JULY 31, 2023
IAPMA has blocked hotel rooms for IAPMA Congress participants and accompanying persons in Dresden. Please make your hotel bookings by yourself at the hotels listed in the HOTEL LIST which you can find in the download below.
OPEN CALLS - CLOSED AFTER FEBRUARY 15, 2023
Open Call for Lectures, Demonstrations, Workshops, Panels - see PDF download below. Open Call for Artworks - see PDF below.
REGISTRATION FOR POST CONGRESS TOUR - CLOSED AFTER JULY 17, 2023
You can find the tentative IAPMA Post Congress Tour 2023 program in the PDF downloads below.
PAPER ALIVE! PAPER ART INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION
Exhibition from September 15 to October 31, 2023
Opening Ceremony on September 14, 2023 in the presence of
Betty Amongi, Uganda’s Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, accompanied by Dr. Matthias Rößler, President of Parliament, Free State of Saxony.
On the occasion of the 27th Congress of the International Association of Hand Papermakers and Paper Artists (IAPMA) which is being held this year with Fides Linien as Congress Convenor in the Dresden University of Fine Arts, the Kunstgwerbemuseum / Design Campus of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Dresden State Art Collections) is hosting a special Paper Art exhibition in the Riverside Palace of Pillnitz Palace in collaboration with IAPMA. On display are artworks by 82 contemporary artists from 27 countries from all over the world, making it possible to experience paper as a living, responsive, artistic medium - as an independent art form - “Paper Art”.
Further information:
https://www.iapma.info/Exhibitions
https://kunstgewerbemuseum.skd.museum/en/exhibitions/paper-alive/
SUPPORTERS
Special thanks to The Xsabo Foundation, funding partner of the IAPMA Congress 2023 “PAPER ALIVE!” and the related Exhibition. With its financial support of the IAPMA Congress 2023, the congress-related “PAPER ALIVE!” Exhibition and its initiation of Minister Betty Amongi’s visit as Guest of Honour at the function, The Xsabo Foundation aims at furthering cooperation between Uganda, Germany (Saxony) and the wider world community.
The Dresden Convention Service is also supporting the Congress.
Location
GERMANY, DRESDEN
The venue for lectures and workshops of the IAPMA Congress 2023 will be the Dresden University of Fine Arts (Hochschule für Bildende Künste) www.hfbk-dresden.de .
One of the key congress exhibitions will be held at the Museum of Decorative Arts (Kunstgewerbemuseum) www.kunstgewerbemuseum.skd with its Design Campus www.designcampus.org . The museum is located at Pillnitz Palace & Park, a beautifully restored Baroque-Chinoiserie ensemble on the bank of River Elbe. A venue for further congress activities will be the Graphic Workshop (Grafikwerkstatt) www.grafikwerkstattdresden.de , and the Dresden City Museum www.stadtmuseum-dresden.de in the 'Country House' www.museen-dresden.de.
Dresden Tourist Information:
www.visit-dresden.de
Dresden International Airport:
www.mdf-ag.com
Congress Venues - Virtual Map:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=13Woj7385Zakl6fJ7Zr92EgRMqKHOhzw&usp=sharing
Convenor
IAPMA's Congress 2023 is being organized, managed and hosted by Fides Linien as Convenor in conjunction with the Dresden University of Fine Arts as Co-Convenor who is providing premisses during some congress activities.
CONTACT
Fides Linien, Congress Convenor president@iapma.info
Nicole Donnelly, Congress Coordinator congress@iapma.info
CONGRESS ADRESSES
26. IAPMA Congress in Toyota
Japan
2021
Event Dates
The congress took place from October 07, 2021 until October 10, 2021.
Description
APPROACH: Create A Bright Future Through Paper
New Congress dates:
Virtual SATURDAYS: September 18, 25, & October 2, 2021
LIVE from Toyota, Japan: October 7 - 10, 2021
In a series of online lectures and demonstrations, the IAPMA Congress will explore the essence of paper and contemporary paper art through the lens of change and future orientation. Organized into three thematic days -- Community, Art & Adaptation, and Global Approach to Craft -- online presenters will explore paper art as a means of community building and resilience, reveal personal explorations and adaptations with the medium of paper and paper pulp, and share culturally diverse experiences of the craft and art of handmade paper today.
While it is not possible to participate in person at the Paper Toyota festival in Toyota, Japan, events such as the opening and closing ceremonies, member exhibitions, and some workshops will be LIVE broadcast via Zoom and Facebook during October 7-10.
REGISTRATION (Virtual Congress Events):
All Congress events are FREE to members.
REGISTER: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/iapma-congress-approach-tickets-161159377035
Download the PROGRAM BOOK below (PDF).
PAPER TOYOTA 2020 festival website: http://papertoyota2020.jp/
Location
JAPAN
The location of the Congress is the central area of Toyota city and Obara in the mountainous surroundings of Toyota City, Japan.
Links to find out more:
Toyota City Obara Paper Art Museum Washi no Furusato: http://www.washinofurusato.jp/
Toyota City Folk Craft Museum: https://www.mingeikan.toyota.aichi.jp/eng.html
Convenor
PAPER TOYOTA 2020 Executive Committee, Toyota City Obara Paper Art Museum Washi no Furusato, and Toyota Obara Washi Kougei Association.
The Congress will be held jointly with PAPER TOYOTA 2020, an international paper forum hosted by Toyota City in September-November 2021.
Day 3- Lectures- Oct 2nd
25. IAPMA Congress in Sofia
Bulgaria
2018
Event Dates
The congress took place from May 16, 2018 until May 20, 2018.
Description
PAPER: CONSCIENCE & CONSCIOUSNESS
16 May - 20 May 2018
Pulling from the title of Bulgarian-born writer Elias Cannetti's The Conscience of Words, a collection of essays that followed Crowds and Power, IAPMA looks at the conscience and consciousness of paper in the 21st century, its place in a contemporary, globally connected society and ever-increasing technological world. What are the ethical and moral implications of paper – as a record or document, as a social contract, as an art form, as a craft? What is the power of paper, and what is its weakness? How is the role of paper changing as we progress towards complete digital communication? What is paper's role as we strive for a more conscious, equal, and aware global society? How can we,
as citizens of the world, use paper to affect positive change, social change, environmental change, and technological advances?
Join us for 4 days of presentations, demonstrations, and exhibitions exploring the conscience and consciousness of paper art in beautiful Sofia, Bulgaria.
Please mark the dates on your calendar: 16 May - 20 May 2018.
Post-Congress: 21 May - 28 May (**the tour is officially running**)
In addition, IAPMA will experience the Sofia Night of the Museums on 19 May, when more than 20,000 visitors come to Sofia to experience its art!
DEADLINE to REGISTER: 15 April 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9UhAjTQ9es&app=desktop
https://vimeo.com/200206364
Location
The city of Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria, located in the western half of the country. Sofia is the hometown for many major universities and world-renowned cultural institutions, museums, and galleries. It has many historic attractions, and a very high walkability rating. Sofia has a rich history owing to its continuous habitation since 7000 BCE, from the ancient Thracian culture, to the Bulgarian Empire which spread from Asia, to the contemporary culture of today. In 2018 it will be one of the cultural seats of the EU, and uniquely positioned to host the IAPMA congress.
Convenor
About AMATERAS and SPAF: These incredible exhibitions which take over the city of Sofia for the month of May also coincide with the Night of the Museums, when Sofia attracts over 30,000 visitors to its major cultural institutions in a single evening.
IAPMA's 2018 Congress is planned for Sofia, Bulgaria, hosted by member Daniela Todorova and Todor Todorov, in conjunction with AMATERAS and the Sofia Paper Art Fest in May 2018.
**
EXHIBTION FORMS can be found under "Announcements".
**
1 IAPMA CONGRESS SOFIA program
24. IAPMA Congress in Brasilia
Brazil
2016
Event Dates
The congress took place from September 12, 2016 until September 16, 2016.
Description
IAPMA is very excited to announce our first Congress in South America in Brazil!
Under the theme Nature, Diversity, & the Art of Paper, IAPMA members will convene in the capital city of Brasilia, 12 -16 September 2016, to participate in presentations, demonstrations, and exhibitions of paper art in this uniquely inspiring location. Hosted by member Dr. Therese Hofmann of the Universidade de Brasília, we will gather at the Cultural Centre Bank of Brazil to have an inspiring set of presentations and exhibitions of paper art in their galleries, as well as a Post-Congress Tour.
This is a wonderful opportunity to meet many new papermakers and paper artists from Brazil as well as other countries in South America, and to experience the unique papers and traditions of this part of the world. We hope you will join us in Brazil!
Visit the Congress website for up to date information about TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, CONGRESS FEE, and CALLS for ENTRY: http://iapma2016.com
Post-Congress Tour to Sao Paulo, September 16 - 19.
Location
Brasilia is the captial city and seat of government of Brazil. Located in the Central Highlands, it was inaugurated in 1960 to serve as the new national capital, moving it from Rio de Janeiro to a more central location.
Brasília is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, known for its modernist architecture and uniquely artistic urban planning which attracts architecture aficionados worldwide. Portuguese is the official language, but Spanish and English are also widely spoken. Brasilia has a population of roughly 2.5 million people and is an important transportation hub as well.
Universidade de Brasilia is a world-renowned research institution of 40,000 students.
..............................................
Climate
Brasilia is considered a tropical savana, with a rainy season (October - April) and a dry season (May - September). In the dry season, there is very little rainfall and almost no mosquitoes.
September is springtime in Brasilia, with an average daily high temperature at 28C/83F degrees, and an average low at 16C/60F.
Travel to Brazil
Brazil requires a Tourist Visa in addition to passport for visitors from the following countries:
Australia
Canada
China
Cuba
India
Japan
Nepal
United States
Zimbabwe
Please check with your country’s consular office for up to date information.
Or look up other travel details: http://wikitravel.org/en/Brasilia
Convenor
Dr. Therese Hofmann
at Universidade de Brasília
Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro
Or visit the University Artisanal Paper website: http://lemepapelartesanal.wordpress.com/
23. IAPMA Congress 2014 in Fabriano
Italy
2014
Event Dates
The congress took place from July 02, 2014 until July 06, 2014.
Description
Home to a rich history in papermaking that spans 800 continuous years, it is an ideal site for a collegial, memorable and inspiring Congress in 2014.The staff of the Museum, led by Director, Giorgio Pellegrini, have worked for years to develop the Museo della Carta e della Filigrana as a centre for learning on many levels – for scholars, for practitioners and for young papermakers of the future.
Location
Fabriano is a beautiful city to visit, nestled in the Appenines. The city prides itself on its welcoming hospitality, with typical cuisine and wines of the extraordinary Marche region where it is located. Close to Assisi and Urbino, great artistic centres; near to Monte Conero which rises from the Adriatic; with easy access to natural wonders such as gorges and caves; Fabriano promises not only immersion in a historic papermaking city but much to enjoy just outside the city limits as well.
Convenor
Please take a virtual tour of the Museum by following this link:
http://www.museodellacarta.com
http://www.viamar.org/tourmuseocarta/start.html
22. IAPMA Congress and Joint Meeting with FDH in Cleveland
United States
2012
Event Dates
The congress took place from October 10, 2012 until October 15, 2012.
Location
Morgan Conservatory
21. IAPMA Congress in Wonju
Korea
2010
Event Dates
The congress took place from September 08, 2010 until September 14, 2010.
Description
The Post Congress Tour took place from September 14th until 18th.
Location
The congress has been held at the Hanji Theme Park in Wonju. Wonju is a one to one and a half hours by bus from Seoul.
Convenor
Mr. Lee Chang-Bok, president of Hanji institute and team
20. IAPMA Congress in Burnie
Australia
2009
Event Dates
The congress took place from March 26, 2009 until March 30, 2009.
Description
Fore more information visit http://www.iapmacongress2009.com.au/.
Location
Creative Paper Tasmania
PO Box 973
Burnie
Tasmania Australia 7320
Convenor
Michelle Green - Business Manager, Creative Paper Tasmania
manager@creativepapertas.com.au
Michelle Wubbolts
manager@creativepapertas.com.au
19. IAPMA Congress in Oxford
United Kingdom
2007
Event Dates
The congress took place from August 30, 2007 until September 03, 2007.
Location
Wadham College
Convenor
Hilary Sussum
18. IAPMA Congress in Steyrermühl
Austria
2006
Event Dates
The congress took place from August 03, 2006 until August 09, 2006.
Location
Österreichisches Papiermuseum Steyrermühl
For more information visit www.papiermuseum.at
Convenor
Joachim Tschacher and Team
Helene Tschacher, Eva Juras, Hubert Böckle, Susanne Zehnder
17. IAPMA Congress in Banff, Alberta
Canada
2005
Event Dates
The congress took place from January 01, 2005 until January 01, 2005.
Description
The 2005 Congress took place in Banff, Alberta, Canada, in the heart of the spectacular Rocky Mountains. Although surrounded by wilderness, and some of the world's most beautiful scenery, Banff is a thriving town with all amenities. The Banff Centre, with up-to-date conference facilities and meeting rooms, is also an artists' retreat, and has a fully equipped paper studio. Best of all, the well-appointed accommodation was only a few steps from all the Congress activities.
Location
The Banff Centre for the Arts
http://www.banffcentre.ca/
Convenor
Elizabeth Crammond
ecrammond@look.ca
16. IAPMA Congress in Jeonju
Korea
2004
Event Dates
The congress took place from May 03, 2004 until May 08, 2004.
Description
Pan Asia Paper Museum, Jeonju: www.papermuseum.co.kr
Jeonju City: www.jeonju.go.kr
Korean National Tourism Organization: www.visitkorea.or.kr
Location
Jeonju Congress Center
Convenor
Mr. JIN Dong-Kyu
15. IAPMA Congress in Geneva
Switzerland
2003
Event Dates
The congress took place from August 04, 2003 until August 08, 2003.
Location
Collège et Ecole de Commerce André-Chavanne, Geneva
www.edu.ge.ch/po/chavanne
Convenor
Elisabeth Jobin
elisa.jobin@bluewin.ch
14. IAPMA Congress in Chicago, Illinois
United States
2002
Event Dates
The congress took place from August 01, 2002 until August 05, 2002.
Location
Columbia College Chicago, Center for the Book & Paper Arts
www.bookandpaper.org
Convenor
Bill Drendel
bookandpaper@colum.edu
13. IAPMA Congress in Duszniki Zdrój
Poland
2001
Event Dates
The congress took place from August 02, 2001 until August 08, 2001.
Location
Muzeum Papiernictwa Duszniki Zdrój (Southern Poland, near Wroclaw)
biuro@muzpap.pl
www.muzpap.pl
Convenor
Joachim Tschacher
12. IAPMA Congress in Sarteano
Italy
2000
Event Dates
The congress took place from July 29, 2000 until August 05, 2000.
Location
Abbazia di Spineto, Sarteano
Convenor
Luciano Pandiani and Marilisa Cuccia
pandianiuno@alice.it