Why SFMOMA Reached Across the Country for These Handmade Upcycled Cards

BUFFALO, N.Y. – At Papercraft Miracles, paper is never a blank slate. In this handmade paper studio, the fibers carry a history of their origins.

Earlier this year, the studio's founder and lead artist, Janna Willoughby-Lohr, received a surprise email from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). “They found our website through a blog we wrote about repurposing waste materials into new paper,” Willoughby-Lohr said. “They wanted to create customized thank-you cards to give to their patrons at their annual Director’s Dinner."

During an online consultation, Willoughby-Lohr and her team worked with SFMOMA to identify which leftover flyers, pamphlets and outdated materials from past museum exhibits were best suited for the project.

“They collected the materials and shipped them across the country to us,” she explained. “We sorted them and decided on the best mixture to use to make really fun and interesting paper that would also be good for printing legibly.”

The creative process resulted in a unique blend of pulped recycled papers, featuring a distinct "silvery shimmer" sourced from old envelope mailers. Willoughby-Lohr noted that the resulting cards allowed the original paper’s beauty to shine through while still clearly conveying the museum’s message.

While the inside panels were left blank for personal notes, the back of each card featured thoughtful touches. The first was a quote by American painter Mark Bradford, “I use paper because it is a container of information, it has a memory.” The other was a note about how the paper was made, "Printed on upcycled SF MOMA materials-paper with its own history."

Reflecting on the collaboration, Willoughby-Lohr said the project perfectly aligned with her studio's mission. "I just love being able to help our clients tell their own stories and speak their own values by using the actual pieces of paper that contain their history. It’s not just about being sustainable; it’s about capturing meaning and preserving history. These cards hold deep meaning inside their fibers, and every recipient could feel it."