Origami USA - History

History

Origami was relatively unknown in the United States until Lillian Oppenheimer discovered the flapping bird. That introduction, at a family gathering in the late 1940s, triggered a fascination that would dominate the rest of her long life. Oppenheimer wanted the world to share her love of origami. She sought to find or teach more folders in the New York area, and she also started corresponding with paperfolders around the world.

Gradually, through the 1950s and 1960s, Oppenheimer became more and more involved with origami, and gathered around her a small group of equally dedicated and talented people. They saw magic in the creation of beautiful objects from a simple sheet of paper, and they wanted to spread their love throughout the United States.

By the 1970s Oppenheimer was no longer young - she was born in 1898. Her colleagues wanted to make certain that the collection she had accumulated, and the business she had started to ensure rare origami books and papers would be accessible, would live on. Among those people was Michael Shall, a young teacher from Pennsylvania. He had an ambitious dream of a new group, with hundreds, or even thousands, of members all over the world, all dedicated to sharing Oppenheimer's original vision. With Alice Gray, Gay Gross, Natalie Epstein, Alan Kaplan, Robert Neale, Florence Temko, Gwen Williams, and other people, he founded The Friends of The Origami Center of America. In 1980 The Friends was incorporated as an all-volunteer, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, cultural and educational arts organization. OrigamiUSA is registered as a 501(c)(3) charitable corporation.

In 1987, the organization officially purchased Oppenheimer's supplies business, which is run as mail-order only. By the time Oppenheimer died, in 1992, The Friends had achieved and even exceeded Shall's dream. Effective July 1, 1994, The Friends of The Origami Center of America became OrigamiUSA.