Creative Applications to Life in Origami
Fine Arts·Community Service/Nonprofit·Health/Wellness·Education
Cal Origami holds weekly Thursday evening meetings where members fold origami together, from simple beginner models to advanced designs. No experience is required. Members can also enroll in the Origami DeCal, a for-credit course teaching folding basics, design theory, and how to create original models from scratch. The club hosts the annual East Bay Origami Convention (EBOC), bringing together folders from across the Bay Area to fold, share, and exhibit work alongside world-class folders.
ApplicationsApplications deadlines can be found each semester on the decal website, typically 2 weeks after the start of each semester.
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Meeting frequency per week (Thursday evenings)
2009
Founded (spring)
Events They Host
East Bay Origami Convention (EBOC)
Annual public convention where attendees fold, share, and exhibit origami alongside world-class Bay Area folders. Includes a convention book featuring original designs. EBOC 2025 was held March 16-17. EBOC 2026 is being planned in collaboration with Stanford's origami club.
Cultural Immersion Night
Event hosted by the International Students Association at Berkeley; Cal Origami participates.
Matsuri
Event hosted by Nikkei Student Union; Cal Origami participates.
Fall Affairs
Event hosted by the Berkeley Art Museum; Cal Origami participates.
Cal Day Origami Display
Cal Origami has created large-scale origami pieces for Cal Day, including a full giant chess set (2016) and a life-sized humanoid crane folded from a 12-by-12-foot sheet of paper (2019).
Member Experiences
Food-Themed End-of-Semester Celebration
End-of-semester meeting with food (including vegetarian options) and paper provided. Past example held at SOCS 54, 7:00-9:00pm.
Oakland Zoo Trip and Origami Challenge
Members visit the zoo, fold the animals they find, and photograph their models next to the real animals. A scavenger-hunt scoring system rewards teaching other visitors to fold.
Fisherman's Wharf Scavenger Hunt
Member outing at Fisherman's Wharf.
Random Trip to Japantown
Member social trip to San Francisco's Japantown.
Paper Airplane Contest and Picnic
Member picnic with a paper airplane contest.
Halloween Party and Film Showing
Member Halloween party with a screening of the origami documentary "Between the Folds."
1000 Cranes Project
Members collectively fold 1,000 origami cranes to donate to Oakland Children's Hospital.
Heart Inspiration Giveaway
Members fold 100 origami hearts with inspirational notes and hand them out to students on Sproul Plaza.
Bernie Peyton's Workshop
Guest workshop with origami artist Bernie Peyton.