Joel Stern has enjoyed origami and pop-ups since his childhood. A native of Omaha, Nebraska, he has conducted many origami workshops for all ages in camps, schools, community centers, and libraries. He’s published several books of original origami models, including My First Origami Kit, Origami Games, Animated Origami Faces, Jewish Holiday Origami and Washington Pops!, a collection of do-it-yourself pop-up cards of famous buildings in Washington, D.C. His origami and pop-up creations have been exhibited in the U.S., Japan, and Israel.
When Joel first started doing origami, there were fewer than five origami books in English that were easily available. All diagrams were done by hand, there was no email, no Internet. He was lucky to have lived in New York City in the 1970s, where he could be a frequent visitor at the Origami Center of America. The Center was also the home of Lillian Oppenheimer, the woman who did more than anyone to promote the art of origami throughout the world.
Nowadays, there are hundreds of books in English, all easily available, and thanks to the Internet, origamists from all over the world can stay in touch with one another. Stern communicates with origami friends in Japan, Brazil, Germany, Israel, Great Britain, France, and the Netherlands, to name just a few places.
Joel also coordinates a monthly origami club that meets at the Roxbury Park Recreation Center on the fourth Sunday of every month from 1-4 PM. The center is at 471 South Roxbury Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90212. Folders of all ages and experience levels are welcome, and it’s free of charge.
For more information, you can contact Joel by clicking “Contact Me” at the top of this page.