Sat, Aug 30
|Chicago
Introduction to Origami
Join artist Hai-Wen Lin for a hands-on origami workshop that blends traditional Japanese folding techniques with contemporary creativity, exploring the cultural significance of cranes, butterflies, and kusudamas—no experience necessary, all materials provided.
Time & Location
Aug 30, 2025, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Chicago, 3500 S Morgan St, Chicago, IL 60609, USA
About the event
Join us for a hands-on workshop exploring the Japanese tradition of origami, led by artist Hai-Wen Lin. Participants will learn to fold cranes, butterflies, kusudamas (traditional "medicine ball" paper forms) along with other folding techniques. Blending traditional craft with contemporary artistic expression, Hai-Wen Lin guides participants in discovering the cultural significance and creative possibilities of origami. All materials provided; no prior experience necessary.
Hai-Wen Lin is a folding artist, currently based in Chicago. Lin has designed numerous original origami models, published diagrams for the Pacific Coast Origami Convention, and has exhibited and taught at the East Bay Origami Convention, and the MIT origami convention. Their research in the application of origami techniques on smart textiles has been exhibited at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles and has been published in the International Symposium on Wearable Computers.
Origami is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, where a single sheet of paper is transformed into intricate forms imbued with cultural meaning—cranes symbolize peace and long life, butterflies represent love and transformation, and kusudama balls, originally used to hold incense or medicine, are now crafted as symbols of celebration and good fortune.