Milli Flaig-Hooper

*butterfly in Old Norse (Icelandic)

It is in the unspoken word that Milli designs exquisite paper creations which speak volumes. The gentle sensibility she coaxes out of recycled paper presents the viewer with the opportunity to sink into her tactile world like a soft pillow might receive a weary head. Ask anyone who has worked with her and they will tell you that the experience has changed them irrevocably. Milli expresses her creativity through a collaborative process. Her needs, noted as special, do not limit or alter her creative energy that transforms more than just paper.

A paper maker since 2007, Milli discovered this part of her love for art when she began experimenting with a children’s paper making kit, located in the back of her closet, and long forgotten. Since those earlier years, she has produced thousands of recycled paper sheets and then used them to produce award-winning art, and many other products – cards, magnets, pins, earrings, bookmarks, and ornaments. Her involvement with the WAVE Artists’ Studio Tour began in 2009 as a participating gallery member and since then she has hosted thousands of visitors in her own studio. 

Milli’s love of paper making has grown in technique and diversity. She has been recognized for her unique work with awards in the Interlake Juried Art Shows, and the Jane Cameron Award (for Canadian artists with Down syndrome). Supported by creative collaborators she engages others to help her develop more fully as an artist through encouragement, sharing ideas, and experimenting with the paper. In 2011, Milli began offering paper making workshops and is invited regularly to present a workshop in schools, community centres, or festivals. She is now one of the WAVE artists offering Adventures with Art experiences! (Presently on hold due to covid-19)

In her other life Milli is a member of People First of Canada (Selkirk Chapter), Glo (previously Curves), UU Yoga, Special Olympics, and volunteers with the local Meals on Wheels since 2010.