MAD Youth Summer Workshop: Impress Yourself

This camp is appropriate for ages 11 - 14, and it runs from Monday, August 15 to Friday, August 19 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm.

Make your mark during this five-day workshop devoted to surface design and printing by hand! We will take a look at how contemporary artists and designers draw inspiration from global traditions through vibrant patterns, repurposed materials, and iconic symbols. Students will learn a range of hand-printing techniques like stamping, stenciling and block printing. Using the elements and principles of design and an array of materials, from potatoes to hand-carved rubber blocks, participants will create their own line of hand-printed products that will include notecards, t-shirts, and tote bags.

There will be a lunch break every day; students should provide their own food.

Day 1: Exploring the Basics of Design – Handmade rubber stamps
We will start the day with a warm-up activity that involves the elements of design – space, line, color, texture, etc., then explore some of the ways artists both in the museum’s permanent collection and in the Stephen Burks-curated exhibition “Are you a Hybrid” have used these elements. What is the relationship of surface design to the overall form/function of objects? Are there cultural/historical differences in use of the design basics we’ve been discussing? To play around with some ideas resulting from these questions, we will make our own foam stamps in the classroom and start our printing practice by creating a number of prints on paper (that can be used as gift wrap).

Day 2: Green matter – Hand printed, nature-inspired placemats
Today, we will use nature as an inspiration. A short walk in the park across the street will surely yield many ideas for both organic and geometric designs. Working with potatoes as well as leaves and other found plant matter, we will look at different ways to achieve movement and balance in our work. Our project for this day will be to create a patterned placemat.

Day 3: Stencils with a mission - Tote bags
Continuing our exploration of design principles, we will look at the role balance, contrast, repetition, and movement play in a number of works in the museum. Thinking about influences like folk art and different cultural traditions on a number of artists, both historical and contemporary, we will create our own stencils and start printing on fabric. At the end of the day, each participant will be able to take home a hand-printed tote bag with carefully placed stencil designs.

Day 4: Block Party 1 – Notecards
Each participant will have compiled a list of particular design inspirations (these could be a historical period, a material, the cultural background or interest of an artist, etc.) and will conduct some individual research that will inform his/her first block print design. Designing and hand-carving a small rubber block will yield a set of hand-printed note cards.

Day 5: Block Party 2 – T-shirts
Applying much of what we have learned in the past four days, participants will create aculminating project. They will design and hand-carve yet another rubber block with a design to be imprinted on a t-shirt, either monochrome or in different colors.