Friends Central Students participate in a Study Tour.

Beeber Middle School students practice printing in Onsite Studio program.

Master printers discussing Glenn Ligon's residency project with a school group. Photo: Eugene Mopsik.

Teachers print their own t-shirt designs at an Evening for Educators program.

Family Program screenprinting demonstration

Study Tours

These unique tours lead students through current exhibitions and beyond. A visit to FWM includes a tour of Museum galleries and a chance to see works-in-progress in the workshop. Tours last approximately 60 minutes for grades K-5, and 75 minutes for grades 6-12 and college and adult groups. 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. View a full description of tour offerings.

K-12 Student Programs

Onsite Studio
The Onsite 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 (grades 2 - 12) and their teacher, meeting once each week over a period of six weeks, to facilitate a collectively designed silkscreen fabric. Two of these meetings will take place at FWM, the first focusing on silkscreen 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 silkscreen 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.

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 silk-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. Silk-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.

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.

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.

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.