About Education + Apprentices

The Fabric Workshop and Museum offers many opportunities for students, teachers, and families to have a more exciting and educational experience during their visit. See more information about our many programs and tour offerings in the pages below.
Lucy Lau, High School Apprentice Coordinator, working with High School Apprentice Marcel Madeng.

High School Apprentice Training Program

As one of the original programs of The Fabric Workshop and Museum, the High School Apprentice Training Program offers students the opportunity to learn all aspects of hand screen-printing on fabric. In FWM's professional studios, students design and print their own fabric yardage and assist staff in the production of artist residency projects. Hand screen-printing is an art form as well as an industrial skill, and the program is designed to provide students with new tools for artistic expression and self-empowerment.
 
Students from the Philadelphia area are encouraged to apply to the High School Apprentice Training Program. In two or three afternoons over 12 weeks, high school apprentices design and print a one-color repeat yardage, and assist in all areas of the studio. For high school students, the apprenticeship is job-training as well as an educational experience, and students earn minimum wage for their time. Students also receive portfolio and career guidance from artists and studio staff.

The High School Apprentice Training Program was created to provide excellent art education for teenagers from diverse economic and cultural backgrounds, with the specific goal of offering an opportunity unavailable to students in their schools. FWM's objective is to complement school resources and improve art education for high school age students in the Philadelphia region.

The application process includes an interview with the Apprentice Coordinator, to which each student must bring samples of his or her work, such as: drawings, a portfolio, or journal of recent artworks. To apply, please complete an application form and return it by the appropriate deadline to:

Apprentice Coordinator
The Fabric Workshop and Museum
1214 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107-2816

Master Printer Bob Smith holds Edna W. Andrade's Maze film positive mylar design for a group of college apprentices.

College and Post-Graduate Apprentice Training Program

Students from Philadelphia and from other U.S. or international locations are invited to apply to the College and Post-Graduate Apprentice Training Program. A full-time and part-time program exists for these apprentices to advance their own art training while also participating in the daily operations of the studio.

Students design and print a one-color and a three-color repeat yardage, and assist with projects in the studio, archives, and administrative departments. Students also have the opportunity to give a short lecture on their own work, visit area cultural organizations, and work with visiting artists-in-residence.

FWM actively recruits a diverse pool of candidates, with a special emphasis on international students. Recent apprentices have come to FWM from nearly every state in the U.S., as well as from Japan, Ghana, South Korea, Germany, Finland, Kenya, Great Britain, France, India, and China.

To apply, please send a completed application form along with:
  1. 20 work samples: 35mm slides and digital files on CD-R accepted. DO NOT send original materials. Please note: digital images should be sized to 4 x 6 inches, 300 dpi.
  2. two letters of recommendation (can be included or mailed separately)
  3. resume
  4. self-addressed, stamped envelope for the return of your materials
  5. slide description sheet
  6. non-refundable application fee: $25.00
Candidates are asked to bring samples of their work to the interview.
All materials must be postmarked on or before the appropriate deadline:
 
Apprentice Coordinator
The Fabric Workshop and Museum
1214 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107-2816
 

Tamagawa University students conduct a traditional Japanese textile techniques workshop (2011) in FWM print studio. 

Study Tours

These unique tours lead K-12 students through current FWM exhibitions and professional studios. Tours are open to all age groups and last approximately 45 minutes. Educators can also arrange multiple visits for their classes, enabling teachers to better incorporate their interactions with FWM into their curricula. Tours must be booked at least two weeks in advance, and groups may request a specific type of tour. Title l qualified schools are invited to inquire about Bus Grants and free admissions. A limited number of grants are available to assist schools on a first come first served basis. Admission charge $3.00 per person. tours@fabricworkshopandmuseum.org / 215.561.8888 x247 to schedule a tour.

FWM High School Apprentices partner with teens from Spiral Q Puppet Theater to march in the Up North Puppet Parade.

K-12 On-site Studio Programs

The On-site Studio program extends art-making activities that take place through the Apprentice Training Programs and its Artist-in-Residence program to the school environment. A FWM-trained teaching artist works with a class of school students (K-12) and their teacher, meeting once each week over a period of six weeks, to facilitate a collectively designed hand screen-printed fabric. Two of these meetings will take place at FWM, the first focusing on screen-printed repeat design and exploring FWM's current exhibition and the final visit to print the students' collaborative design with assistance from the teaching artist. The finished project will be a 15-yard hand screen-print that derives from the schools' curricula and is designed by students. When possible, FWM provides bus grants to defray the cost of schools' transportation to the Museum. Please email tours@fabricworkshopandmuseum.org for more information.

Skidmore College faculty learn about recent Artist-in-Residence projects from Master Printer Mary Anne Friel. 

Teacher Programs

Online Curriculum

The Online Curriculum provides teachers with visual and written materials to support the use of FWM's unique exhibitions and collections in the classroom. These lessons can be used to develop concepts and themes related to specific classroom curriculum or to contemporary art in general.

Using the Online Curriculum can help teachers prepare students for a museum visit by providing information about the themes and ideas within FWM's permanent collection, and assist educators in developing classroom lessons focusing on contemporary art. Designed primarily for K-12 grade educators and students, it is organized into Four Themes that are age-appropriate.

Visit online curriculum
 

Evenings for Educators

Evenings for Educators are offered each Fall and Spring semester and are designed to stimulate educators' interactions with FWM and with their peers. Teachers and arts professionals can step outside of the classroom to explore how contemporary art, and FWM programs in particular, can enliven classroom discussions and activities. Evenings for Educators will demonstrate ways for educators and their students to become involved in FWM's school-museum collaborations including Study Tours, the Apprentice Training Program and internships. Educators can learn the basics of silkscreen printing or other printmaking techniques and have a tour of the exhibitions on view in this informative session.
 
Please email tours@fabricworkshopandmuseum.org for more information.

Family participants interacting with Cai Guo Qiang's Fallen Blossom exhibition as part of FWM's Year of the Tiger Celebration.

Family Programs

FWM Family Programs are designed for families to explore and learn about contemporary art in new and exciting ways. Using FWM's exhibitions and unique studio environment as a foundation for learning, Family Programs feature hands-on activities designed to spark interest, arouse curiosity, and encourage children and adults to learn about art and culture together. Workshops allow families time and space to share in the creative process and expression inside and outside the Museum walls. Please email tours@fabricworkshopandmuseum.org for more information.