Pop-ups celebrate DC Cherry Blossom Festival

To celebrate the National Cherry Blossom Festival and the 100th anniversary of Japan’s gift of cherry trees to our nation’s capital, the National Building Museum commissioned me to design do-it-yourself pop-ups that kids (and adults) could make at the event this past weekend. A pop-up Japanese Tea House and a pop-up of the Miajima Torii Gate were among the projects. Both were given out free to the crowd, along with instructions on how to cut out and assemble them. Volunteers helped with the assembly process, and everyone seemed pleased with their take-home pop-up souvenirs.

To make your own Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival pop-ups, download the designs and directions from www.cherryblossompopup.com, print them onto card stock paper and glue them together. The trees have already lost their blossom due to our early spring, but you’ll have the pop-ups to remember them by.

Pop Your Candidate into the White House

Living in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., many of us are totally absorbed with the ongoing (and entertaining) 2012 election proceedings. So once again I’ve designed a do-it-yourself pop-up campaign card that can be downloaded and constructed as a dimensional vote for the candidate of your choice. I’ve included the entire field of pop-up candidates, so choose one and glue him onto the White House lawn, or Photoshop your own pick into the scene. (I’ll be editing down the choices as the Republican field narrows. Stay tuned….) Here’s the link for the images and instructions. Have fun, and don’t forget to vote at the polls.

Paper Engineering at The University of the Arts

During the past two weeks I made the trip to Philadelphia to teach a short session on paper engineering as a segment of Alice Austin’s Book Structures class there. I always enjoy the students in this class. They bring a fresh, inventive spirit to the forms they construct, and hopefully include them in future book projects. Plus, seeing my friends and colleagues at the university makes it an especially enjoyable visit.