Work from the Combat Paper Project will be on exhibit at Central Library through the end of April, as part of Arlington Reads 2011, “The Soldier’s Story: Serving Country and Community.”

Join us Thursday, April 7, 7:00 p.m. in the Central Library Auditorium when Tara Tappert, exhibits curator of the Combat Paper Project, will show and discuss elements of the project. Attendees of this event will also have the chance to win one of the two Arlington Reads 2011 featured books. Find out more about Arlington Reads 2011.

In the 20th century, the American military began to incorporate the use of crafts in two major service areas: as a tool for rehabilitation and as recreation promoting a sense of well-being. Tappert, an archivist and American arts consulted, is interested in understanding how and why making crafts is so helpful in returning both the mind and body to a state of well being. In Combat Paper workshops, veterans use their uniforms to create cathartic art. The uniforms are cut up, beaten into a pulp and formed into sheets of paper.

Arlington Reads 2011 is one of many Library events this year in support of the County initiative “Tell Arlington’s Story.”

Arlington Reads is made possible through the generous support of the Friends of the Arlington Public Library.