The Combat Paper Project

Soldier goes to war. Soldier wears uniforms day in, day out. Uniforms hold soldier’s blood, sweat, fears & tears. Soldier comes home from war. Uniforms are relegated to their duffle bag to then be stored in a dusty attic. Or maybe not….Enter The Combat Paper Project.

What is The Combat Paper Project you ask? A genius way of allowing the soldier to preserve his uniform and create art in the process. Started by Drew Matott and Drew Cameron, they aimed to find a way to preserve the soldiers experience while allowing the creative process to heal them.

“Through papermaking workshops veterans use their uniforms worn in combat to create cathartic works of art. The uniforms are cut up, beaten into a pulp and formed into sheets of paper. Veterans use the transformative process of papermaking to reclaim their uniform as art and begin to embrace their experiences in the military.”

“Combat Paper Project hosts workshops that feature processes rooted in the traditions of hand papermaking. The typical workshop follows a five-day format that allow participants to turn their uniforms into paper pulp and then create personal and unique works of paper art from the pulp.”

Along with The CPP, they also have The Combat Paper Press where small books of poetry, anthologies and memoirs written by veterans are published and sold.

From one veteran to another, I think this is a most brilliant project and one worthy of sharing with others. Workshops and exhibits are held all over the US so for more information, please visit their website :http://www.combatpaper.org/

“From uniform to pulp

Battlefield to workshop

Warrior to artist”

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