Michael Shall (November 15, 1949 – February 9, 1995) was a teacher, practitioner, and promoter of

origami ) is the Japanese paper art, art of paper folding. In modern usage, the word "origami" is often used as an inclusive term for all folding practices, regardless of their culture of origin. The goal is to transform a flat square sheet of pape ...

(paper folding). He helped launch one of the largest

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

origami organizations,

OrigamiUSA OrigamiUSA (sometimes abbreviated as "OUSA") is the largest origami organization in the United States, with offices located at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. It was founded in 1980 by Michael Shall, Alice Gray, Lillian O ...

, in 1980.

Life

Shall was born in 1949 and grew up in

Carlisle, Pennsylvania Carlisle is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2020 United States census, ...

. He was the youngest son of Tillie and Herman Shall, who taught his sons paperfolding. Michael Shall graduated from

Lycoming College Lycoming College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1812, Lycoming College is affiliated with the United Methodist Church but operates as an in ...

Williamsport, Pennsylvania Williamsport is a city in, and the county seat of, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. It recorded a population of 27,754 at the 2020 Census. It is the principal city of the Williamsport Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a popula ...

and taught high school English before moving to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1974 to try to make a living as an origami professional. Along with his mentor and colleague,

Alice Gray Alice E. Gray (June 7, 1914 – April 27, 1994) was an American entomologist and origamist. She worked as an entomologist at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York for 43 years, writing, illustrating, and creating large model ...

, Shall is noted for his creation of Holiday/Christmas trees bedecked with origami. One of the best-known origami designs by Shall is his "Shining Alice", an eight-pointed star named in honor of Alice Gray. Shall is the author of the book ''Teaching Origami'' Shiningalice

A history of the OrigamiUSA convention, which was started by Shall, describes him as a fine teacher and leader, resourceful, hospitable, energetic to the point of seeming hyperactive, but a poor planner. On one occasion, for example, he arranged for coffee cups and a coffee urn for the convention, but forgot the coffee. In addition to teaching origami at The

American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. In Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 26 inter ...

in New York and the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, Shall "showed his dedication to spreading the magic found in a single sheet of paper by teaching in virtually every public library and countless schools in the New York City area." Shall died on February 9, 1995, aged 45, at

New York University Medical Center NYU Langone Health is an academic medical center located in New York City, New York, United States. The health system consists of NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU Long Island School of Medicine, both part of New York University (NYU), and m ...

, from complications of

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

. He is memorialized on a panel on block 04241 of the

NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, often abbreviated to AIDS Memorial Quilt or AIDS Quilt, is an enormous memorial to celebrate the lives of people who have died of AIDS-related causes. Weighing an estimated 54 tons, it is the largest piece o ...

. The newsletter of OrigamiUSA for Summer, 1995, features 26 tribute articles dedicated to Shall. The organization created the Michael Shall Volunteer Recognition Award in 1995 to honor Shall and to recognize volunteers for extraordinary service to OrigamiUSA. A fund named after Shall provides origami paper for public projects, such as teaching origami at a senior center, or supporting a high school club on Long Island, NY as it folded

Origami crane The ''orizuru'' (折鶴 ''ori-'' "folded," ''tsuru'' "crane"), or paper crane, is a design that is considered to be the most classic of all Japanese origami.Jccc Origami Crane Project – Materials For Teachers & Students. MEANING OF THE ORIGAM ...

s for a local hospital. The 1995 OrigamiUSA convention was dedicated to Shall.Teaching Origami by Michael Shall

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shall, Michael 1949 births 1995 deaths People from Carlisle, Pennsylvania Lycoming College alumni Origami artists AIDS-related deaths in New York (state) 20th-century American non-fiction writers