This slide show contains examples of Molas by artists from Panama, and student paper molas with the lesson used to make them. First…

Molas from Panama are made of cloth. Originally Molas were for clothing, blouses. Then the use of Molas was expanded to other forms of clothing and accessories. Now, they are also made as stand alone works of art.

The Molas of Panama, made with cloth and thread, take days, weeks, or even months to make depending on the details of the design. By changing the material to paper, students can complete a work in 1, 2, or 3 lessons depending on how much detail is desired. The following student work was done by second graders in two 45 minute class periods.

This is the basic lesson we used. A larger printable copy can be found in the book “COLLAGE with PAPER”. Much more information about this and other forms of collage, as well as aides for helping awesome artists to develop conscious work habits, can be found in the book “COLLAGE with PAPER”.