2023 Activity resport
Summary of activities
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Collection and Fund for Origami Art: The Origami Museum is deeply grateful to Kevin Box and Jennifer Box for the donation of a set of five metal pieces inspired by origami models from prominent international artists. Kevin Box is an American artist known for his unique sculptures that blend the art of origami with durable materials such as bronze, stainless steel, and aluminum. His work is characterized by its folded paper appearance, although the sculptures are made of metal, giving them impressive durability and presence. Box began his artistic career as a painter and graphic designer, but became interested in sculpture and the technique of bronze casting while working at a foundry. This interest led him to explore the intersection between the fragility of paper and the permanence of metal. Some of his best-known works include collaborations with famous origami artists, as well as large-scale public pieces that can be found in gardens, museums, and public spaces throughout the United States. His art often conveys themes of peace, nature, and the connection between simplicity and complexity.
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Visitors: The number of visitors doubled compared to last year, with increasing numbers of foreign tourists, especially from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Latin American countries, and Europe. The number of Russian visitors to Colonia has increased as many have relocated to Buenos Aires recently due to the Russo-Ukrainian war.
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Community: The Origami Museum once again invited the Uruguayan community to send in their origami creations to decorate the Christmas tree. The decorated Christmas tree was displayed until January 6, 2024, and photos were uploaded to the museum's Instagram page.
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Education: Around 40 schools and high schools from across the country visited the Origami Museum during 2023. Participants, through their teachers, receive educational material for before and after the visit, to continue exploring the art and history of origami.
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Course: The Origami Museum continues to offer the virtual course "Origami and Geometry," taught by Professor Stella Ricotti, for primary and secondary school teachers, and workshop coordinators. It is a distance, asynchronous course consisting of 47 videos with a total duration of about seven hours. The editing was done by the museum.
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Workshops: During the winter holidays, origami workshops were held at the Galpón de las Artesanías in Colonia del Sacramento. There were also workshops at the museum during the Night of Museums on December 8.
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Exhibition: The exhibition featuring works by interpreter Gabriel Vong from Hong Kong and origamists Willam Huang and Nan from Taiwan was inaugurated. A display of works by Rebecca Gieseking (USA) was also presented.
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Showcases and display stands: A new structure made of wood and polycarbonate consisting of nine "windows" and a sliding panel was completed, where works by Vong, Nan, and Huang are currently displayed. Work is underway on a set of wood and acrylic structures to exhibit in the future the works of Kevin Box (USA), Chen Xiao (China), and Ciment Pleating (UK). Three new tablets were purchased to be included in upcoming exhibitions with information about the artists.
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Virtual talks and videos: For the museum's third anniversary, a virtual event was held on March 26 featuring Peter Engel (USA), who gave a talk titled "Folding the Universe," where he reviewed his works and updated his ideas on the history of folding. On April 2, Xiaoxian Huang (China/Catalonia) prepared a video on the history of folding in China, which was compiled, edited, and subtitled in English and Spanish by the Origami Museum. It was presented to the conference attendees. This video will soon be available to the public on the Vimeo platform.
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Library and research: Numerous books were acquired for the museum's library, some of historical interest, as well as documentation for the museum's archive.
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Gift Shop: La tienda del museo ofrece papel, libros de origami y recuerdos disponibles en la tienda de regalos y en la tienda en línea del museo. Entre ellos papeles kami japoneses, papeles de la empresa estadounidense Tuttle, bijouterie en origami de Laura Rozenberg, y muñecas Shiori ningyo de Patricia Fernández López.
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Participación en cursos: la directora del museo participó de las jornadas online de Wikimuseos y también de la reunión de Wikimedistas del Uruguay en Montevideo en calidad de invitada.
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Marca País: El Museo del Origami de Colonia del Sacramento ha recibido el licenciamiento Marca País Uruguay. Más información aquí
