WHO WE ARE

We are a recognized regional group of OrigamiUSA www.origami-usa.org headquartered in The American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Although we meet on Long Island, our proximity to New York has us involved in many of the activities of this prestigious organization as well as our own local group.

L.I.F.E. (Long Island Folding Enthusiasts) is a hobby group dedicated to sharing origami. We began in the mid eighties with an annual Fold Fest and in 1989 began to hold regular monthly meetings. We have had a range in ages from 8 to 80 and meet on the third Thursday of every month. We meet at the Commack Branch of the Smithtown library on Indian Head road. Here are some phone numbers that may help: Rachel Katz 631-543-5856 or the library at: 631-543-0998. We begin at 6:30 and at the end of our meetings at 8:45 usually continue till about 11:00PM at a local diner. Everyone is welcome who shares our love of origami, although rank beginners are usually deterred by the advanced level of the group. Our diverse group includes regulars from New York City, Northern Westchester and we’ve sponsored guest artists (Yuri and Katrin Shumakov) from as far away as Russia, now Canadian citizens.

A second group called L.I.F.E. on the South Shore meets on the second Tuesday at the Seatuck Environmental Center in Islip  beginning at 6:30. Contact Steve at Cell Phone (631) 988-0666

Meetings begin with sharing of origami information including the latest books and papers, exhibitions we are planning and teaching experiences. The models we begin folding are usually simple ones followed by the more complex. Less advanced folders often stay with simpler folds which our informal meetings allow.

Feel free to bring origami books with models that have stumped you or models you’d like to have help learning.

There is no fee for our meetings and people are encouraged to bring something to teach or special paper to share. Origami paper is available at meetings. We buy in bulk and pass the savings along to our participants.

Once a year (usually at the beginning of August) we have "Origami Heaven" week. This will take place in mid-summer at the Wang Center of Stony Brook University. Please go to http://origamiheaven.org/ for more information about this free event.