Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Papermaker Named MacArthur Fellow

The 2009 MacArthur Fellows were just announced, and the world of books scored another victory with the awarding of one of the twenty-four unrestricted $500,000 awards to Timothy Barrett of the University of Iowa. Tim is a master papermaker in both Eastern and Western traditions, as well as a researcher, historian, and advocate for the art and science of the book.

The founding director of the hand-papermaking facilities at Iowa, Tim also served from 1996-2002 as director of the Center for the Book at Iowa, where he is currently Research Scientist and Adjunct Professor. His Japanese Papermaking: Traditions, Tools, and Techniques is a classic text, and Tim has trained countless students over the years in hand papermaking. Tim also teaches periodically in the Rare Book School at the University of Virginia, where 2005 MacArthur Fellow, Terry Belanger, recently retired as founding director.

Among Tim's many notable projects is the Charters of Freedom Re-encasement Project, in which he and collaborators produced archival paper to rehouse the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution.

As a former student of Tim's (and Dr. Belanger's), I congratulate him on his lifelong advocacy and contributions to the culture of the book!

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