Biography
Nicholas Cladis is an American interdisciplinary artist, papermaker, and educator based in Iowa City, Iowa, where he is an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Iowa Center for the Book, teaching hand papermaking, sculptural and alternative paper art, relief printmaking, and related courses. He also serves on the International Board of the International Mokuhanga Association (IMA).
Cladis's interest in Japanese paper began with his study of mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock printmaking), which gave him a glimpse into the world of Japanese tools, processes, and aesthetic theory. Together, these subjects have charted a rich technical and material exploration in his work. A recipient of fellowships from the Japan Foundation and a longtime resident of Japan, he maintains an active relationship with the Echizen papermaking community in Fukui Prefecture, where he lived and worked from 2014 to 2020.
In 2026, Cladis received a Fulbright Scholar Award to Japan, with his project centering on Echizen and studying how hand papermaking in Japan is evolving from a traditional craft into a dynamic contemporary art medium. He served as a juror for the exhibition at the 2024 International Mokuhanga Conference in Echizen, Japan.
Key Facts
- Nationality
- 🇺🇸United States
- Movement
- Contemporary Mokuhanga
- Works Indexed
- 1
Frequently Asked Questions
Nicholas Cladis is an American interdisciplinary artist, papermaker, and educator based in Iowa City, Iowa, where he is an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Iowa Center for the Book, teaching hand papermaking, sculptural and alternative paper art, relief printmaking, and related courses. He also serves on the International Board of the International Mokuhanga Association (IMA).
Nicholas Cladis's work was shaped by the Contemporary Mokuhanga tradition in Japanese woodblock printmaking. Contemporary Mokuhanga: Contemporary mokuhanga (literally "wood-block print") encompasses artists working from approximately 1970 to the present who continue or reinvent traditional Japanese woodblock printing techniques.