Printmaking workshop takes art students across borders

Visual arts students who participated in a cross-border printmaking workshop Friday used the theme of international dialogue as a starting point for their works, says instructor Julie Sando. She took members of her class “Studio Practice and Ideas: Image” to Signal-Return, a recently-opened letterpress shop in Detroit’s Eastern Market, for the shop’s first international workshop.

Owner Ryan Schirmang said Friday’s snow closed many of his neighbouring shops, but didn’t deter the UWindsor group.

“Leave it to the Canadians to arrive early and ready to work,” he said.

Sando said her students were excited by the project, which saw them craft a suite of prints to exchange at the end of the day. For some, the trip was their first time in Detroit.

“I am always looking for opportunities to get our students involved, and to encourage them to make their own contributions to the Windsor-Detroit cultural scene,” she said. “Detroit is enjoying a cultural renaissance and the printmakers at Signal-Return are vital players.”