Education at FWM
Since our founding in 1977, education has been at the heart of our mission. We create opportunities for learners to discover what is possible when art, material, imagination, and technical skill converge. Rooted in Philadelphia’s rich textile history and grounded in contemporary art practice, FWM offers a distinctive approach to hands-on learning through the art of screenprinting on fabric.
At the center of this experience are FWM’s extraordinary 19-yard-long printing tables. Here, artists and learners transform fabric—from small projects to large-scale printing—into sites of experimentation, discovery, and collaboration. Through intimate studio experiences, FWM connects contemporary artmaking with hands-on exploration, cultivating curiosity, confidence, technical fluency, and the capacity to turn an idea into something tangible.
Professional Studio
Apprentice Training Program
FWM’s founding educational program. We invite college students, recent graduates, emerging artists, and arts educators from across the U.S. and around the world to apply for the Apprentice Training Program (ATP)—a hands-on, immersive experience in screenprinting and collaborative artmaking.
The ATP offers participants a dynamic opportunity to expand their studio practice, work alongside Artists-in-Residence, and become part of a creative community that values experimentation, collaboration, and craft.
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High School Apprentice Training Program
This special program opens the doors of FWM’s professional printmaking studios to Philadelphia-area high school students, introducing them to the art and practice of hand screenprinting on fabric.
Complementing school-based art education, the program offers access to specialized equipment, techniques, and contemporary artistic practices that may otherwise be beyond students’ reach. Through guided experimentation and hands-on making, students build technical knowledge, develop their own creative voices, and gain confidence in their ability to take on unfamiliar challenges while bringing their ideas to life.
Learn moreK–12 Onsite Studio
About Onsite Studio
FWM partners with local K–12 schools to place a teaching artist within a Philadelphia classroom. We collaborate with teachers to design a project that reflects class curriculum and integrates the techniques FWM is best known for, such as screenprinting, sewing, and dyeing.
Onsite Studio residencies incorporate a field trip to FWM where students create in our professional screenprinting studio and visit our contemporary art galleries with an interactive guided tour. The program culminates with a celebration of final projects.
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Create a Group Experience
Custom Tours + Workshops
Planning to bring a group? Customize your own experience. We offer guided tours of our exhibitions and studios, hands-on workshops tailored to your interests, and artist box viewings revealing the stories behind 50 years of studio collaborations.
However you do it, we’re here to make your group’s visit surprising and memorable.
Learn moreLearning Resources
Online Lessons to Bring Home
Bring FWM’s playful approach to materials and methods into your classroom or home. We’ve created this series of activities for teachers and caregivers to engage kids with hands-on learning.
These exercises can be adjusted to suit the age and abilities of your students and/or family members. Use these projects to imagine new materials, tools, and possibilities.
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Halftone Podcast
Embodying the experimental nature of the Workshop, Halftone draws inspiration from our collaborations with artists and brings you stories from this place we so often inhabit in the creative process: the space between the known and the unknown.
Enjoy three short seasons!
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