“Hands-on Art” with Kingston High School

November 8, 2013 by

Our studios are bustling with the start of our Art-In-Education program, “Hands-on Art”!

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Lara Giordano joins her students in the papermaking studio.

Twice a year, WSW collaborates with neighboring schools to invite students into the studio to work with practicing artists. We recently kicked off the fall session of Hands-on Art with a visit from Kingston High School’s “Chemistry & Art” class. During our Art-In-Education program, various groups from KHS will arrive and every student will spend a full day in each one of our studios throughout the next four weeks.

In the silkscreen studio, resident Alison Byrnes will lead the students in the creation of two color prints. Alison is this fall’s Art-In-Education Artists’ Book resident, and she’s spent quite a lot of time in our silkscreen studio working hard on her edition Scientific Theories Once Widely Believed, Since Proven Wrong. Originally from Wisconsin, Alison has spent the last few years living and teaching in Bangalore, India. Intern Caroline Walp is assisting Alison in studio.

The students are learning the entire process of screen printing – from start to finish. “If you do it yourself,” says Alison, “you’ll always remember it.”  Even experienced screen printer Caroline has learned a few things: “It’s made me realize how many small components there are to screenprinting and printmaking in general. And as difficult as it is to cover it all in five hours, they all still come out with a print.”

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Work from the silkscreen studio.

Workspace resident Lucy Turner will be teaching the class in the etching studio. Coming to us all the way from Ireland, Lucy will be teaching students etching and chine-colle techniques. Throughout her residency, Lucy has been deriving inspiration from the natural surroundings of Rosendale, and urges her students to do the same. Intern Anna Thompson will be there to assist Lucy and help guide students through the process.

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Resident Lucy Turner assists a student in the etching studio.

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Work from the etching studio.

Internship alumna Kasia Keeley will be leading activities in the papermaking studio. Under Kasia’s tutelage students will be exposed to the in-depth process of papermaking, from processing fibers to pulling sheets.

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One of our students working hard in the papermaking studio.

After visiting each of the studios, students will have the opportunity to revisit their favorite medium for additional practice during the fourth week. The community is invited to attend the culminating exhibit of the student’s work, which will be shown from 5-7pm on Saturday, December 7th, in the first floor meeting room at the Kirkland Hotel in Kingston, NY.

This is the first a series of two posts about Art-In-Education program “Hands-on Art”. Check out our website or contact us at [email protected] for more information.