Draft:International Association of Hand Papermakers and Paper Artists eV

The International Association of Hand Papermakers and Paper Artists e.V. (IAPMA) is an international association of more than 652 members in 56 countries from all over the world that promotes paper art and handmade paper as a contemporary artistic medium. The membership comprises of hand papermakers, paper artists, conservators, educators and museum staff members.

Location
The main office of the association is in the German city of Dresden.

Overview
Although founded in 1986 in Dueren (Germany) by a group of paper artists from Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Germany, Israel, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States led by Swiss artist Fred Siegenthaler, IAPMA was only officially registered as an association in 2021 in Dresden (Germany). The association currently has 652 members in 56 countries from all parts of the world.

Operations
The mission of IAPMA is to promote artistic ideas and paper art worldwide through exhibitions, exchange of knowledge among members, lectures, workshops, monthly newsletters, an annual bulletin and related projects. In addition, the association holds an international congress every two years in a different part of the world. The last congress was held in Dresden (Germany) in September 2023 with Betty Amongi, Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development of the Republic of Uganda, as Guest of Honour. She was accompanied by Dr Matthias Roessler, President of Parliament of the German Free State of Saxony. The 2023 IAPMA Congress was funded by The Xsabo Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of The Xsabo Group, an Afro-European company engaged in commercial diplomacy and renewable energy initiatives for net-zero economic growth in Africa. Previous congresses were held, among others, in Toyota City (Japan), Sofia (Bulgaria) and Brasilia (Brazil). In years where there is no international congress, a paper art biennale is held. The IAPMA Paper Art Biennale 2024 was held in the castle in the North German town of Hagen im Bremischen in April 2024.

Governance
IAPMA is governed by a three-member Board of Directors consisting of a President, Vice President and Treasurer who are elected by members for a period of three years. The current President is Fides Linien aka Franziska Leischker.