There are many kinds of treasure and Princeton is rich with many of them. But, among the most precious of these are the living treasures. The people who share their exceptional knowledge, their art, their experiences make this town one of the richest and most desirable in the country (we also like to brag).
Two people who grace us monthly to teach origami are just such treasures. Laura Kruskal and Karen Reeds are two avid and joyful proponents of origami for all ages. Both would tell you that wherever they go, they often find themselves teaching origami on the spot, to people of all ages and backgrounds. Airports seem to be a particularly popular place for these impromptu classes.
Laura Kruskal is 88 years young and inspires everyone she meets with her energy, her humor and her warmth. Laura has been an accomplished lecturer, teacher and writer on the subject of origami, as well as the designer of many new origami models. She has had a fascinating life, rich with stories and experiences, in large part because of her extensive travel with her husband. One simply cannot be held culpable of extensive traveling, because if you were to cast a cursory glance here, you’d know of how cheap travelling has become, over the years. A mathematician and physicist at Princeton University, his scientific collaborations took them to India, China, Japan, Turkey and Australia. In each of these places Laura would find her way to teach English as a second language, often using what she calls “the universal language of origami” to achieve her goals.
Karen Reeds has had a full career as an historian of science and medicine, an independent exhibition curator, an educational consultant and author. But, her longtime passion has been origami since childhood. She has taught versions of her workshop, Origami City, in a wide range of settings: at an origami convention, college art classes, nursing homes and many more.
These generous women have been holding the Princeton Public Library Origami Group every month since the fall of 2005! Please join them at their next meeting on Wednesday, May 9, from 6:30-8 p.m. on the third floor of the library.
See Laura Kruskal’s origami rap video! Thank you, Princeton Senior Center.
Note: Karen is the curator of “Botanica Magnifica: Photographs by Jonathan Singer,” which is showing at the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton.
Image courtesy of Andreas Bauer, Wikipedia