POP News

On December 30, 2001, we celebrated POP's end of year Fold-o-rama Extravaganza with Yami Yamauchi, Joe Hamamoto, Bennett Arnstein, Bernie Slotnick, the two Joyces, Joel Stern, Michael Sanders, Neil Eisman, Joel Bauer and Dorothy Engleman. Welcome to our seven new folders, Mary Lou and son, Ryan, and friend, Jasmine, Joel Stern's cousin, Noah, and friend, Greg, and library guests, Barbara and Louie.

Joyce Gacsaly was all agog at the variety of models taught. Some of the fun folds were Joel Stern's Nun, Dave Petty's Beating Heart, Soon Young Lee's Kissing Lips, Yami Yamauchi's Tree, Dreidel, Doodlebug and Spinning Top (the first one he designed in 1967) and John Montroll's Horse with Michael Sanders' head, pleated tail and pleated mane modifications. Joe took young Louie under his wing and taught him two Talking Birdies, a Pecking Crow and a Talking Frog.

Funmeister Bernie did some origami shtick for us and created a "Perpetual Motion Bird" by repeatedly manipulating an open bird base with the wings folded up and the tail folded down.

This month's Model-o-rama featured designs by our budding 12 year old creators, Ryan Naccarato and Jasmine Florentine: Ryan's neato OctaHiron, based on Hiro Okamoto's TetraHiron and Jasmine's lovely Hummingbird and groovy action mouth, Sir Talk-A-Lot.

Ryan was so inspired after noshing some See's Candy, courtesy of Joel Bauer, that he magically transformed a candy wrapper into a See's Candy Angel.

Also on display were Jeff Beynon's Spring Into Action, Tomoko Fuse's Hex Box, Tom May's Gold Bug, Paula Versnick's Two-Fold Santa (simply brilliant!), Robert Neale's action fold, Two Chicks in a Nest, Seiji Nishikawa's Christmas Present (Santa with sack), Michael Sander's gorgeous miniature acrylic box displays, Robin Glynn's Big Bird and Bernie's dollar bill folds: a Tumbler, Star of David and Butterfly. Neil Eisman brought along an astonising array of pics of his super-complex folds.

Our Model of the Month features a fluttering butterfly moneyfold modified from a Robert Neale design by John Andrisan and diagrammed by Leon Brown.

$ Fluttering Butterfly by John Andrisan

Our next meeting is January 27, 2002. Be there or be square!