Special Announcement
Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) we are closed... or are we? See more info here.Origami Page:
Elephant
Mary Ellen Palmeri
Welcome to our monthly "Origami Page". Origami is folding paper and ending up with delightful figures and models, such as flowers, boxes and animals. This feature will showcase a different origami model in each monthly issue, with diagrams and photos to help readers learn how to fold them. Most models use one square of paper, some use a rectangle, and others use more than one piece of paper.
Photo by Mary Ellen Palmeri
I chose an elephant for this month's model because of a "Call for Elephants" put out by the Wildlife Conservation Society. The request is two-fold: They are attempting to break the Guinness World Records™ title for the largest display of origami elephants - AND - their goal is to reach 35,000 origami elephants to bring attention to the 35,000 elephants that are killed each year for their ivory.
The address to send elephants to is: Wildlife Conservation Society; c/o Rachel
Libretti; 2300 Southern Boulevard; Bronx, NY 10460.
If you'd like to participate you would have to send your model(s) to them by September
16, so hopefully you'll see this posting before then! If not, you can still enjoy
this fun model.
The original design doesn't include the 'pajama' aspect, but when it was introduced to me it was called "Elephant in Pajamas". I don't know who originated that perspective but it has been the most popular when I teach this model, using colorful paper when folding the 'legs' they become pajamas!
A few fun facts about real elephants: Males and females live different lifestyles. Females stay with their herd for life while males strike out on their own at about 13yrs - and males interact with more than one herd. Herds are usually led by the oldest female, and their members form strong bonds. The closely knit females help each other look after the young and pass on social and survival skills to the younger members of the herd.
Happy folding!
Origami originated in ancient Asian cultures and has been adapted by contemporary artists worldwide to reflect their own cultures. Local artist Mary Ellen Palmeri has incorporated paper folding into many of her mixed media art paintings, and teaches origami classes locally and nationally. Some of her work can be seen in a Tucson Happenings feature here: Artist_Profile
Ms. Palmeri's original origami models have been published in books and magazines, she has been featured on broadcast media, and her mixed-media fine art works often include various original origami models. Origami LAFF (Lyric Arts Folding Fest) is a Tucson based club founded by Ms. Palmeri to provide a venue for sharing this art. The group meets monthly at a local library; for more details please contact the artist at info@lyric-arts.com
