YUCA's T-shirt Design/ Silk Screening Workshop

In our continued effort to partner with community organizations and expand our artistic range of programs, YUCA in collaboration with the CIVIC school hosted a silk screen/t-shirt design workshop on Saturday, October 23rd. Held at the Highbridge food pantry, the afternoon included an overview of the silk screening process conducted by Tony and Grace Colon. They are Brooklyn-based graphic and textile designers who mesmerized the youth in attendance with their creativity and production expertise. Students went from being passive listeners into active learners, especially when they began to utilize the art supplies on hand to explore their own creativity. Tony was able to make learning practical, memorable, and yes - even fun! A big shout out also goes to crafts artist, Henry Peña who was on hand making sure the workshop ran smoothly. He was also able to arrange to have the entire session video taped, which we will post shortly. This workshop is the first in ongoing classes which are running through the end of this year, and will culminate in an exhibit/art fair slated for early Spring, 2011. CIVIC teachers, Adelaide Fuller and Misha Brown, brought the partnership to fruition when they met with YUCA's Executive Director over the Summer and agreed to organize these classes in the fall semester. This opportunity is particularly for YUCA and CIVIC students enrolled in community art classes. The students are learning professional technical graphic design skills and beginning to experiment as commercial artists. These classes are learning to use Photoshop to create t-shirt and poster designs that explore Scholars’ artistic identity. In order to actually screen print their designs, and expose our scholars to extracurricular arts opportunities, scholars will have to attend weekend YUCA classes. A screen printing machine and other specialized art-making tools are available at the YUCA studio. A YUCA board member will also work with scholars to develop business plans for the sales of their t-shirt and poster designs.  YUCA would like to thank everyone who helped to organize the event, especially the Yankee Stadium Community Benefits Fund for helping fund these activities.