Paper Project Solomon Islands

These documents are part of a small collection of artworks and ephemera related to a paper and print making project established in the Solomon Islands in 1994. It was funded as part of the New Zealand Official Development Assistance Programme (NZODA) in collaboration with the volunteer Solomon Island Development Trust.

History

New Zealander Chris Delany designed the initial project to make paper and prints as a way of encouraging villagers to establish small sustainable revenue generating projects. She had experience working with Volunteer Service Abroad and had lived in the Solomon Islands working primarily with women’s groups.

Delany organised a pilot project in Balai village in August 1994, where villagers experimented with making paper from banana leaf and other local tree and plant fibres. Later, and to add value to the paper products, she introduced the villagers to New Zealand based artist Michel Tuffery who ran a workshop on woodblock printing techniques.The locally inspired designs proved popular in the tourist market. The artists used the profits to improve buildings in the community, support the payment of school fees and market the artworks locally and overseas.

In 1996, Delany replicated the paper and print making project in two other villages in the Marovo Lagoon, Western Province of the Solomon Islands. Individual artists, some of whom were very skilled carvers, went on to exhibit and sell their work internationally. Similar paper and print making projects were later established in Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu.

Acquisition History

This collection of artworks and ephemera were acquired from Chris Delany in 2015.