OrigaMIT Convention 2023

What do you do at an origami convention?

• Take classes on how to fold specific origami models
• Browse a high quality origami exhibition
• Purchase origami paper and books
• Meet other origami enthusiasts, have fun, and fold paper!

The convention is open to anyone who would like to participate! Walk-in registration is possible on the day of the convention, November 4th, for $30 ($10 for MIT students). Please check in at the lobby outside of 1-190 as described below! For people who selected the "pay at check-in" option or people doing walk-in registration, feel free to bring cash or Techcash to pay at convention check in.

Day of Convention

This year, convention activities will occur on MIT's main campus in Building 1. Note that this is a different location from previous years, when we held the convention at the MIT Student Center, which is currently under renovation. Walk-in registration and check-in will start at 9AM. Please check in at our registration desk outside 1-190, the main convention room. There you will:

• Check in
• Pay your registration fee
• Get some paper, info, map, and schedule
• Make a name tag
• Order/pay for lunch or dinner

Afterwards, you can hang out and fold, check out things to buy at vending, or peruse our exhibition, all of which will be available in 1-150. You will be given a printed copy of this map at registration.

For those coming in from out of town, there are a number of hostels and hotels in the area, but book soon; rooms in Boston book quickly! For those driving in, there is lots of free parking around MIT's campus, but there can be many events on campus during the weekend, and it may be difficult to find parking. Please refer to the guidelines on MIT's Parking Page for more information about MIT parking regulations and locations. There is also metered parking on the street.

Classes

Classes and lectures will be available to convention attendees over the course of the day. Classes range in difficulty from simple, low through high intermediate, to complex; beginners and veterans alike will find classes to satisfy their curiosity!

The class schedule is available at this link. The image below represents a summary of the where and when the convention activities will be taking place; all the details are listed in the link above. Look through the class descriptions and make a plan for the classes you plan to attend throughout the day! Some classes may require you to bring and prepare paper in a specific way, so check the details. Some classes may also fill up quickly, as they are first come first serve.

Also make sure to bring the paper required for the classes you're planning on attending. Complementary 15cm and 25cm kami will be available near where the vending tables are (tentatively room 1-150).

There will be no ticketing for classes; admittance will be based on a first come first serve basis, so please be flexible to make sure there is space for everyone. As is customary at MIT, each class will start 5 minutes past the hour and end 5 minutes before the hour. Please arrive on time! Also, please don't get in over your head! If you've never been to an origami convention before, this OrigamiUSA document on classroom etiquette is a useful read.

Special Guests!

This year, we are excited to have two special guests attending convention:

Joseph Hwang	Anicé Claudéon
Joseph Hwang is a paperfolding artist based in San Diego. His work focuses on designs inspired by nature and modular origami. Joseph is the author of three books: Marine Origami (2023), The Art of Modular Origami (2021), and Natural Origami (2020).	Anicé was born in Amiens, France, in 1999. He discovered origami in 2011 after finding a paper frog in his bag of madeleines made by the baker. He quickly learned the art of folding by using tutorial video available on the internet. In the same year, he participated in his first convention in Lyon. He timidly began creating his own models in 2013. Being a student in applied arts, he integrated his studies in product design with the art of origami, combining these two fields to refine and establish himself as a designer and folding artist. His early works were characterized by the creation of models embodying life and cuteness. He quickly developed a distinctive aesthetic that came to define his models. Although he has specialed in the figurative representation of animals, Anicé is gradually turning towards human forms, exploring new perspectives within his unique style. He was invited as a special guest at the Lyon Origami Convention and the Convención Internacional AEP in Valencia.

Some famous origami artists and designers that have attended this convention in past years are:

Brian Chan * Erik Demaine * Seth Friedman * Michelle Fung * Rebecca Gieseking * Eric Gjerde
Tom Hull * Jason Ku * Paul Jackson * Ekaterina Lukasheva * Michael LaFosse * Robert Lang
Sipho Mabona * Jeannine Mosely * Meenakshi Mukerji * Chris Palmer * Oriol Esteve
Won Park * Sok Song * John Szinger * Wensdy Whitehead * Joseph Wu
Beth Johnson * Boice Wong

Exhibition

We will host a small origami exhibition at this convention combining models from OrigaMIT's permanent collection, as well as models brought by convention attendees. If you are bringing models to exhibit, we will be accepting models in the main convention area, starting at 8:30am. We will allocate exhibition space based on a first come, first serve basis. Come set up early!

Food and Festivities

Food is not included in the cost of registration. The MIT Student Center is closed for renovation, but there are dining options available nearby, including Flour bakery and Oath pizza.

To help accommodate convention attendees, OrigaMIT will also be placing an order for both lunch and dinner on the morning of convention for food to be delivered to the convention location. If you would be interested in joining in our order, please indicate your preference on your registration form and bring money to give us on the morning of convention. Lunch will be pizza and $5 per person. Dinner will be Chinese food and $10. We may not be able to support all dietary restrictions, so please ask before ordering. Of course you are free to find or bring your own food!

Vending

At convention, there will be opportunity to purchase origami paper and books from Origamido Studios, a famous local paper making studio and origami shop. Additionally, OrigaMIT will be selling OrigaMIT convention books), new t-shirts, and other goodies. Please bring cash or Techcash if you are interested in making any purchases as we will not have access to a credit card machine.

Convention Books

We have put together a new 2023 OrigaMIT Convention Book, which is a small collection of origami diagrams and crease patterns, available for purchase at our convention!

Past OrigaMIT convention books will be available for $15 each, with limited supply. You can see the cover and table of contents for the 2018 Convention book here. We may reprint books again after this convention if there is a demand, so please let us know if you are interested in purchasing one.

T-Shirts

We will have stylish new OrigaMIT Convention t-shirts, as well as shirts from last year! They will cost $25, but if you're a current MIT student, you can purchase one for a discounted price of $20. The front and back designs for last year's t-shirt are shown in the image below. The site will soon be updated with the new design!

We will also be selling t-shirts from previous conventions at only $15 per shirt.

Registration

Preregistration ended on October 29th. Regular registration is available on the morning of Nov. 4th at $30 per person, and $10 for MIT students.