In a basement studio in Bridgeport, Aidan Anne Frierson and Dave King are turning wet, squelchy pulp into handmade paper.
On any given day, you can find them shredding and cooking plant fibers like cotton, flax, kozo, or abaca until they turn into pulp, then mixing them in giant, watery vats to soak overnight. From there, they dip a mould and deckle box into the slurry, pulling out the pulp that floats in the water. “As long as you’ve got cellulose, then you can make paper,” Frierson said.
Donning heavy-duty aprons and waterproof boots, they often get their hands and feet wet while working. They stamp sheets of pulp onto a damp tablecloth until they hold their shape, then press the liquid out onto the table. After squeezing the rest out with a hydraulic press, they hang the pieces of paper on a clothesline or stick them in their dryer.
Their studio, Chicago Pulp @chicagopulp , opened this past September, offering classes, open studio sessions, and custom pulp to artists and curious beginners alike. The space features professional-grade equipment, including a fiber shredder, hydraulic press, dryer, and more—tools typically found only in institutional or classroom settings.
Read the full article by Reema Saleh at the link in bio.
📸 Reema Saleh
We are officially open! Now offering PULP for Purchase with PAPER & PRACTICE offerings coming soon!
This month’s PULP List offers:
ABACA
COTTON
& FLAX
available for pick-up, or local delivery!
for more info about our offerings
email us at: [email protected] or visit our website link in our bio!
#pulp #paper #handmadepaper #paperpulp #paperpulpart #abaca #abacapulp #cotton #cottonpulp #flax #flaxpulp #papermill #studio #chicagopulp #chicago
It was such an honor to visit for Career Day at Phillip D. Armour Elementary School in Bridgeport!✨
We spent the day with Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade students —their curiosity and creativity made for a special day! Students asked such thoughtful questions, our new Education & Studio Intern, Izabelle Brandli facilitated demos, we presented on process, craft-based careers, and artist-run spaces!
We’re so grateful to Monica Balesh, Ariana Schachne, and Armour’s Career Day Planning Team for curating such a intentional and impactful experience for young learners in our community 💛
#CareerDay #ArtsEducation #bridgeportchicago #Craft #studio
📣Workshop Announcement 📣
Tempered is going on a little Midwest tour in May! I’ll share a full lineup soon which includes some super exciting markets but for now I’m thrilled to announce I’ll be teaching a marbling workshop at @chicagopulp on May 10! Chicago Pulp is a hand papermaking studio in the Bridgeport neighborhood, offering programs, community outreach, and studio rentals. It’s a beautiful space and I’m really looking forward to marbling with a whole new group of folks. More information and registration can be found at Chicago Pulps website (also linked in my bio) 🧡
March made 6 months of Chicago Pulp !!! Now, we’re taking April to rest, recalibrate, and plan for the rest of year.
Thank you to everyone who has visited us, joined a workshop, or simply wished us the best—this wouldn’t be possible without your support.❤️❤️
New workshops and offerings coming soon! Click the link in our bio to sign up for our newsletter⭐️
Diasporal Rhythms presents, “Keepers of the Flame” a free, immersive bilingual summer arts appreciation camp for children ages 5-12 from June 4th to August 21st at the Tolton Heritage Center/St. Elizabeth’s hall. The objective is to provide children with a world-class, kaleidoscopic experience of African Diasporic art and heritage in Bronzeville through direct engagement with local artists and their art, with children creating their own art alongside the masters. Teaching artists will include Ed House, 773 Dance Project, Kopano, Nova Zaii, Mack Baker, Carina Vargas-Nuñez, KiaNijee, Maggie Brown, Gyamfuah, Chicago Pulp and Messejah Washington.
The summer arts camp will culminate in a public exhibition of the children’s work at Tolton Heritage Center complete with a reception and a multidisciplinary public performance by the participants, led by the teaching artists.
Ritmos de la Diáspora presenta “Guardias del Fuego” (*Keepers of the Flame*), un campamento de verano gratuito, inmersivo y bilingüe, dedicado a la apreciación artística para niños de 5 a 12 años, que se llevará a cabo de 4 junio a agosto 21 de en el Tolton Heritage Center/St Elizabeth’s Hall. El objetivo es dar a los niños una experiencia caleidoscópica y de clase mundial, sobre el arte de la diáspora africana y la historia de Bronzeville, a través de la interacción directa con artistas locales y sus obras, permitiendo que los niños creen su propio arte junto a estos maestros. Entre los artistas docentes se incluirán Ed House, 773 Dance Project, Kopano, Nova Zaii, Mack Baker, Carina Vargas-Nuñez, KiaNijee, Maggie Brown, Gyamfuah, Chicago Pulp y Messejah Washington.
El campamento artístico de verano culminará con una exposición pública de las obras creadas por los niños en el Tolton Heritage Center, la cual incluirá una recepción y una presentación pública multidisciplinaria a cargo de los participantes, bajo la dirección de los artistas docentes.
Applications for parents, a teacher assistant and volunteers can be found at the link below and in my bio. 🌞❤️
/summer-2026-youth-program/
Thank you so much Andrea and Jon @hook_pottery_paper for teaching us how to build mould and deckles for our studio.
We spent a two days on the farm, learning the intricate craftsmanship required to fabricate these important tools.
Try them out during Andrea Peterson’s Papermaking Studio! The 10-day workshop is an intensive course in papermaking where you’ll learn the basics of fiber processing, sheet formation, inclusions, pigmenting, and more. This course is for the artist to create a body of work through experimentation, refinement, and iteration. Click the link in our bio to learn more!
Chicago Pulp is honored to participate in the @chicago_center_for_craft ’s Craft Crawl this weekend! Visit our studio this Saturday the 21st (between 10am-4pm) to witness the magic of papermaking with denim, all beat and processed by our students 👖
There’s still time to sign up for Sunday’s Sculptural Paper Workshop! You’ll learn how to make three-dimensional forms, sculptures, and explorations using natural fibers such as Abaca and Flax. Hope to see you there!!💘
