The artist Joel Hernandez, 39, first worked with papier-mâché as an 8-year-old, soon after moving from Mexico to rural Indiana. His parents had gone looking for piñatas — a staple of their family celebrations — at local stores but had come up short. Hernandez, now based in San Francisco, is just one of the contemporary craftspeople using papier-mâché in new and provocative ways. And while each has a different approach to the medium, they share an appreciation for its democratic and economic nature. Making papier-mâché, after all, requires nothing more than a few pantry items, some trash and a bit of imagination.

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Persons: Joel Hernandez, ”, Hernandez, La Luz de Jesus, Han, it’s, Bernie Kaminski, Brooks, “, ” Kaminski, who’s, he’s Organizations: La Luz, Mardi Gras, New Locations: Mexico, Indiana, —, La Luz de, Los Angeles, San Francisco, China, New Orleans, New York City