MANAGING THE ART ROOM

Leigh Drake

Each August, Virginia Beach City Public Schools design essential professional development workshops for its visual arts educators to inspire them for the coming year. This year, we partnered with local artist Steve A. Prince, a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, who currently resides in Williamsburg, Virginia. Prince is the director of engagement and distinguished artist-in-residence at the Muscarelle Museum of Art at William & Mary.

Prince is a mixed-media artist, master printmaker, lecturer, educator, and art evangelist. Virginia Beach art educators had the opportunity to work alongside Prince during a four-hour workshop, practicing their own printmaking skills while benefitting from his expertise. Educators were inspired by his process and explored ways to adapt his style and techniques for Virginia Beach’s K–12 student population.

Learning from Prince
Prince guided teachers through an intensive, hands-on workshop using an innovative process known as watercolor monotypes. He led participants on a thematic journey, assisting them in creating contemporary images and stories that poetically, symbolically, and prophetically spoke about our current times. Participants were introduced to the limitless possibilities of watercolor monotype printmaking.

Educators created expressive watercolor templates on Yupo paper, cut and arranged the dried pigment on an acrylic substrate, and used water-saturated archival paper to reconstitute the watercolor imagery into unique multicolored prints.

Workshop Walk-Through
Prince began the workshop by introducing himself as an artist and providing a conceptual overview of the dayʼs work. He encouraged educators to experiment freely on the Yupo paper watercolor sheets.

Through this workshop, educators were able to reclaim the experience of creating for themselves.

Next, Prince introduced monotypes as an art form, which led into the history of the printmaking process, along with thematic ideas and a demonstration of the technique. Participants were then issued their tools and began creating their own works.

The workshop ended with a critique and sharing session, where educators reflected on their finished prints and engaged in meaningful conversations about the creative process and experience of making art.

Conclusion
As educators, we often lack the time to create for ourselves, and it can get lost in our long list of to-dos. Through this workshop, educators were able to reclaim the experience of creating for themselves, and they embraced the opportunity enthusiastically. They absolutely loved working with Prince—such a beautiful soul and pure inspiration.

Participants left the workshop excited and inspired to get the new school year started and continue to develop their newly learned skills as both artists and educators. We hope this excitement will serve as a steppingstone for our educators to incorporate watercolor monotype printmaking into their studio classrooms, inspiring the next generation of young artists.

Leigh Drake is a visual arts educator at Old Donation School in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and a contributing editor for SchoolArts. leigh.drake@vbschools.com