Cabinet of Paper Mechanical Curiosities

 Registration is closed for this event

August 14th, 2020 9:30 AM

  • Instructor: Shawn Sheehy
  • Workshop Type: Binding, Arts
  • Workshop Status: Closed
  • Workshop Start: August 14th, 2020 9:30 AM
  • Workshop End: August 16th, 2020 5:30 PM
  • Sessions: 3

Consider five small shallow boxes, each folded from a single sheet of heavy stock. Imagine binding these drawer-like boxes into something reminiscent of a book block, complete with its own cabinet-like case. Inside each of these boxes you construct something mechanical from paper that can be used many ways. You have just built a Cabinet of Paper Mechanical Curiosities—a 4D Whitman’s sampler of movable delicacies, made entirely with paper.

This workshop removes the restraint of FLAT from the codex page. The first box explores movable paper engineering fundamentals. By adding a sculptural component, the second amplifies a model from the first box. The third is a tiny automata. The fourth contains a classic crankie. The fifth box employs a shutter structure to mysteriously bring an object into view. You will make this movable mechanical magic out of little more than card stock, glue, and simple hand tools. Both paper engineering beginners and advanced practitioners will be accommodated and challenged by this material.

This workshop is made possible by a generous grant from the Windgate Foundation.

Thanks to this grant, we will be able to offer two (2) full need-based scholarships for this workshop. To apply for one of these scholarships, please follow this link. Please note due dates and award announcement dates.

Students already enrolled in these workshops are also encouraged to apply and will be reimbursed if awarded a scholarship.


Materials to Bring: X-acto knife/blades, microspatula, tweezers.

Optional and available at SFCB for student use during workshop: bone folder, steel ruler, self-healing mat, scissors, pencil, awl.

Workshop Fee (includes $50 materials fee): $550.00

Date & Time: Friday-Sunday, August 14-16, 2020 :: 9:30am-5:30pm

Location: 375 Rhode Island St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Note: Please read over the SFCB Registration Policies before signing up for a class

REGISTRATION WILL CLOSE 3 DAYS PRIOR TO THE START DATE OF THIS WORKSHOP.


About the Instructor | Shawn Sheehy

Shawn Sheehy has been teaching book arts courses and workshops on the national level since 2001. His broadsides and artist book editions have been collected by such prestigious institutions as Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, University of Chicago, Library of Congress, UCLA, and Harvard. His pop-ups have been featured twice in both Hand Papermaking magazine and Vintage magazine. Sheehy's trade pop-up book Welcome to the Neighborwood (a mass-market version of his artist book) was released in 2015, winning numerous awards. The mass-market version of his artist book Beyond the Sixth Extinction was released through Candlewick in October 2018. He holds an MFA in the Book Arts from Columbia College Chicago.


Past Student Reviews:

 “Shawn was creative, organized, efficient and patient. We achieved more than I ever imagined.”

“Shawn introduced us to a variety of different pop-up/ pull tab mechanisms in a way that let us clearly understand how they work, which is so helpful for transferring the techniques to our own projects when we no longer have his guidance in person.”

[What did you find most valuable about the workshop?] “Tons of information, very well organized, incredibly friendly and patient instructor.”

375 Rhode Island St
San Francisco, CA 94103-5133
United States