NERAM invites preschoolers and educators in the New England Region to discover the Museum of Printing downstairs, out the back in Black Gully. NERAM, Museum of Printing and Hopscotch Press present this program to creatively engage preschool children with their local museums.
About Museum Of Printing at NERAM:
Museum of Printing houses a historically significant collection of printing machinery and equipment which comprise the FT Wimble & Co. Collection. The collection includes printing presses, a Linotype machine, guillotines, book binding equipment, wooden and metal type and a history of printing in Australia from 1850 to the early 1900s. The Museum of Printing is now the home of the Black Gully Printmakers, a community of artists and print enthusiasts. Click here for more information.
Exploring through the history of printing:
A ‘Stereotype’ in letterpress printing, was created where a printer needed to replicate a hand-set forme repeatedly, either as set or with minor alterations. Rather than re-set the forme each time, or keep the type tied up (literally ), they would take a ‘matrix’ (mold) of the form using mat or papier mache, and use it to cast hot metal, producing a single printing block that could easily be re-used.
Description of Activity, designed for children aged 3-6 years:
We invite children to discover the space in the Museum of Printing. In the tradition of analogue printing using molded ‘stereotypes’, children will create their own printing plate design by imprinting letters and shapes into polymer clay.
This program replicates the molding of the type by giving children polymer clay blocks and various objects that they can ‘print’ into the clay. Type, letter-shaped toys, leaves, cookie cutters, duplo, stamps, and other found objects can be imprinted into the clay, allowing children to experiment with pressure, design and image transfer in a simple, immediate way. Carving into clay, and creating shapes is also welcome.
The process allows children to manipulate shapes and iterate designs with a flexible and reusable medium, and illustrates the principles of image transfer – eg backwards impression, effects of varying pressure. Children can experiment with mixing colours using the clay.
By manipulating, transferring and experimenting with texture children will form their own 3D creations to be baked and brought home.
Extensions/further options:
- use the clay itself as a printing plate by cutting it into shapes or imprinting into the surface, then hand relief printing using poster/acrylic paint;
- Bake the completed designs to make them permanent, to be picked up by educators at a later time
Duration: 45min
Dates: Mon-Fri during school term, subject to Museum and educator availability
Venue: NERAM- Museum of Printing
Cost: Member Schools $3.50 per student, Non-Member Schools $5.50 per student
BOOKING REQUEST
This program is ideal for preschool aged children
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