Final Day of Printing in Queens, K. Sarrantonio, MFA 2018, Printmaking

The best moment in teaching for me is always when the students take control of the classroom. For the final printing day we chose some of our favorite designs from the screens we had made earlier this summer and last summer. The participants at this point were experts in technique and it was good timing to introduce printing on t-shirts and tote bags.

The youth from the Staten Island office joined us with a beautiful design they had made “Make the Road Viva La Revolución” and I got to watch the youth from Queens teach the youth from Staten Island to print.

One queer identified student from Staten Island asked to print their bag in rainbow colors. I hadn’t specifically taught this method of printing which in silkscreen is called a split-fountain. The Queens folks were all over it, mixing the colors and laying them down in a row for a beautiful bag. 

It was a beautiful way to wrap up the summer project at Make the Road. I appreciate knowing that there will more opportunities for the organization to use the printmaking equipment and for me to collaborate with them on future projects.