Monday: Wearable Art [Ages 13-Adult]

Students will be guided in fabric design, patterning options, creating visual interest in fashion, and troubleshooting. We will discuss individual projects and design concepts as well as materials required for making them. Demonstrations of ways of making stencils and printing will be covered including direct methods (screen filler and paper stencils) and indirect methods (photo emulsion including working from drawings, paper cut-outs and found objects). At the completion of the class, participants will have an understanding of how to make at least one type of silkscreen stencil, the knowledge of how to carry on the process at home, and an understanding of various ways that the printing process can be applied artistically and commercially.

Materials Needed: Bring in clothing either new or to be upcycled (think of reviving that favorite shirt that you spilled coffee on!), household textiles such as pillowcases, drapes, towels, or even lengths of fabric that you might turn into something later. The course fee will supply screen, embroidery-hoop frames and necessary emulsions for the creation of two small designs (about 4”), which can be printed repeatedly over fabric in a variety of colors. Basic primary colors, black and white ink and three sack-cloth towels will also be supplied. Materials will also be available for purchase for those who are prolific and want to make more!

About the Teaching Artist: Molly is a printmaker by nature and training, and is proficient in silkscreening, woodcut, intaglio and lithography. She brings to all of her work the skills of patience, planning, and problem-solving she learned from her time as an award-winning teaching artist in the state of Jersey. She opened her printmaking studio, Social Animal Press in Ocean Grove, NJ in 2006. There, she makes her work, holds open critiques, and teaches classes for adults and children.

In late 2002, Molly moved to the area from Alexandria, Virginia where she taught Printmaking at Virginia Tech’s Graduate School of Architecture, an international consortium, and worked at the National Endowment for the Arts in Federal Partnerships. She also worked in the Corcoran Gallery of Art's Museum Education Program and as an adjunct faculty member at the Corcoran College of Art and Design.

She was awarded a Graduate University Fellowship and an MFA in printmaking at the Ohio State University where she also instructed foundation drawing and design courses. She received her BFA in printmaking and a BA in art history from James Madison University. Producing primarily print-based and mixed media works on paper, she has exhibited regularly in the DC area, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.