The Somerset Historical Center recently nourished tradition by holding a folk art workshop on paper-cutting at the center in Somerset.
Scherenchnitte, which means "scissors cutting" in German, is the most familiar form of paper-cutting in the region, according to Kathy Trexel Reed, who led the workshop.
The art dates back thousands of years, even to the early Egyptians. Scherenchnitte was derived from the Swiss-German technique of cutting one piece of paper in a continuous design. The papers could be folded one or more times to allow repetition in the overall designs, said Reed, of Black Bear Fine Arts.
The black-and-white decorative forms, along with the colorful Polish versions of paper-cutting, came to America in the late 18th century as birth certificates and valentines.
Reed, a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts artist-in-education, works through Laurel Arts and Southern Alleghenies Museum Association.
"Living overseas and being an art teacher for 30 years, I saw different forms of paper-cutting and different ways it was used," said Reed. "So I took a class and taught myself. It's almost like osmosis for art teachers. You just look in books and ask people how to do something and you learn to do it."
As Reed's paper-cutting skills improved, she asked Carrie Glessner, of Shanksville, to attend a workshop to learn the skill.
The 15-year-old daughter of Karl and Donna Glessner is the youngest member of the Somerset County Artists Association.
"Different people are good at different things," said Glessner. "And after taking a class on paper-cutting with Kathy, I really liked doing it."
Glessner's recent paper-cuttings have won her numerous awards in the artist association's Members Show at the Philip Dressler Center and the Junior Juried Art Show in August.
Since different parts of the world have different styles of paper-cutting, Reed and Glessner decided to just touch on key aspects of each style during the workshop.
Those who attended tried their hand at traditional scherenchnitte bookmarks and doilies, but learned the basic skills to make greeting cards, garland and other delicate crafts that could be given as gifts.
"This is a craft that can be shared with friends and family because there is such a broad variety of ways to cut paper," Reed said. "Many people start out using patterns to cut by, but the sooner you start changing from the pattern and personalize it, the more it will be yours."
Reed is a member of the Guild of American Papercutters. The guild has more than 500 members in 49 states, Canada, Mexico and other countries.
Reed said she has come to realize several things about her craft.
"I did not like the notion that paper-cutting had to have a certain look. The basic skills are the same, but each artist adds something to each piece and everyone's work is so fascinating and different and that's what makes it beautiful," said Reed. "This is the only craft where you start with nothing, a blank piece of paper, and then you take something away from nothing, the cut-away pieces, and you end up with a whole lot more than you started with."
