Troy Community School students explored silk screen printing with Philadelphia-based artist Ralph Stollenwerk on Jan. 18 & 19.
Philadelphia artist Ralph Stollenwerk visited the Troy Community School (TCS) last week to introduce students to silk screen printing. Stollenwerk has over 20 years of experience in screen printing and has created posters, t-shirts, pins, and more for famous bands such as Metallica, Olivia Rodrigo, Foo Fighters, and comedians like Tom Segera and Burt Kreischer.
During the session, Stollenwerk showed students various silk screen materials and templates, and then they got to work creating their own posters. TCS art teacher Tanya Harrison said that silk screening is a crossroads where art meets trade, and it is an excellent way for students to learn skills that could lead to future careers. Regardless of their artistic ability, students were engaged and asked thoughtful questions.
Several templates were available for students to choose from to create their own screen printed poster.
Harrison observed that the most encouraging aspect of the workshop was seeing students who were initially hesitant gain confidence in their skills. By the end of the session, each student had a poster to take home, which showed off their creativity and symbolized their newfound confidence and sense of accomplishment.