Our Mission

We want to change the paper supply chain from forest to farm.
Fresh Press is an interdisciplinary research and making lab at the University of Illinois that explores the potential of regional sustainable agricultural fiber waste as art, paper, and objects. We aim to develop entrepreneurial and artistic markets for paper products from locally produced sustainable agricultural fiber waste (corn stalks, rye, hemp, and prairie grasses). We are divided into three organizational components: research, residencies, and outreach. Our research involves developing new models, methods, and applications for the integration of agri-fiber waste paper as a viable commercial alternative to wood pulp.

We research

Fresh Press is an interdisciplinary research and making lab at the University of Illinois that explores the potential of regional sustainable agricultural fiber waste as art, paper, and objects. We aim to develop entrepreneurial and artistic markets for paper products from locally produced sustainable agricultural fiber waste (corn stalks, rye, hemp, and prairie grasses).

We offer workshops

Fresh Press seeks to educate through papermaking workshops, steward the land we use in our craft, and investigate indigenous plant and agricultural fibers for the arts to help solve global environmental and social issues. Workshops are three hours, range in cost from $20-80 per individual, and explore the use of basic Western papermaking and pulp painting.

We collaborate

As the Fresh Press ecology is amoebic its shape is constantly shifting from semester to semester in focus. A few consistent themes within the lab are research, outreach, education, and entrepreneurship. Our work is indeed interdisciplinary. We attract a medley of collaborators, students, and media who are interested in the concept of sustainability or fiber.