Atlanta, Georgia-- More than one million individuals have learned about papermaking through the Robert C. Williams American Museum of Papermaking's national touring exhibitions program. This landmark of education outreach programming was celebrated April 15th at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery in Dayton, Ohio, current host of the paper museum's exhibits, "PaperQuest" and "Recycling: Lost and Found." Dr. James Ferris, President of Atlanta's Institute of Paper Science and Technology, and the American Museum of Papermaking director Cindy Bowden joined Mark Meister, director of the Boonshaft Museum, his Board of Directors and staff in Dayton to present awards to the millionth visitor, 11-year-old Evan Simmons.

" I like climbing on the paper machine and playing with the computer best," said Evan, while his father Peter Simmons, a caterer and restauranteur in Dayton, looked on beaming. "Making paper out of blue jeans was great, too!" The Simmonses are regular visitors at the Boonshaft Museum of Discovery.
During the day's festivities, sponsored by the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI), Winnie Radolan, a Philadelphia-based hand papermaker and arts educator, conducted a hands-on family workshop for visitors who learned how to make paper from vegetables like onions, leeks and celery. Dard Hunter III, grandson and namesake of the paper museum's founder, led another workshop session where children and their families made paper from recycled blue jeans.

Since 1994, with support from TAPPI and the American Forest and Paper Association (AF&PA), the museum has developed and implemented a national touring exhibition program with three traveling exhibitions for children and their families that has reached more than 1,000,000 people around the country - more than 130,000 in the last year alone - with a strong and positive message about papermaking as both an art and an industry.

Each exhibit is an exciting interactive multi-media exploration of the fascinating world of papermaking. Kids love to play in the large and colorful paper machine and experience the hands-on exhibition about the recycling industry. The papermaking station invites children, their teachers and families to make paper from recycled blue jeans. Visitors can walk (and crawl) through the five different sections of a two-story paper machine. Touch-screen computer programs, videos, and games help explain the technically complex process of papermaking with easy-to-understand language and fun activities. One computer even allows participants to explore different papermaking materials from around the world - and everyone learns what exactly mummies and Mt. Everest have to do with recycling.

The Robert C. Williams American Museum of Papermaking's touring program is based on strong partnerships - not only with TAPPI and AF&PA but also with the participating museums. More than two dozen institutions have participated in the program including both large and small institutions around the U.S., ranging from Seattle's Pacific Science Center and the Children's Museum in Houston to the Schiele Museum of Natural History in Gastonia, North Carolina, and the Outgamie County Historical Society in Appleton, Wisconsin. At every venue, the museum provides promotional and educational materials as well as staff training.

The Robert C. Williams American Museum of Papermaking is a division of the Institute of Paper Science and Technology and is located at 500 Tenth Street, NW, Atlanta. The museum is the most comprehensive collection of paper and paper-related artifacts in the world. The permanent exhibits trace the art, science and history of papermaking from the forerunners of paper to the advanced technology of today. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.

"A Child's View of Papermaking" is on view at the World Forestry Center in Portland, Oregon, through June 17th. "Paper Quest" and "Recycling: Lost and Found" are scheduled to remain at Dayton's Boonshoft Museum until the end of May.