Educational Background/Training

Education: MFA in Art and Ecology from Burren College of Art; BFA in Painting and Printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University

Certification: Virginia Praxis 5134, ART: CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

Teaching: Virginia State University Department of Art and Design 2024-Present, Randolph Macon College Studio Art Department 2023-Present, Visual Arts Center of Richmond 2023-Present

I have taught college-level classes including drawing from observation for both arts majors and non-majors, Introduction to printmaking, and experimental drawing for arts majors. My adult continuing-education classes include introduction to bookbinding, copper-plate etching, and exploring collagraphs. I have taught both young adults and adults from age 16-60+.

About the Artist/Ensemble

Amelia Rafle is an American printmaker based in Richmond, Virginia. She received her BFA in Painting and Printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2021 and her MFA in Art and Ecology from the Burren College of Art in 2023, and is currently teaching drawing and printmaking at Virginia State University and Randolph Macon College. She has exhibited work in both the United States and Ireland, received grants to study human impact on birds, and most recently opened a solo exhibition at the Artworks RVA gallery in Richmond.

 Strongly rooted in scientific research, Amelia uses an expanded printmaking process to communicate information regarding the climate crisis through visual imagery that is accessible and engaging to the viewer. A love of birds is also prevalent throughout her work, making use of bird imagery to symbolize how human activity affects both the human and more than human worlds. Amelia’s most recent works have explored birds as an indicator of the looming multispecies effects of the climate crisis, as well as their relationship to humans through migration patterns and cultural symbolism.  Rafle also puts a strong emphasis on community participation as an educational tool, inviting viewers to take an active part in developing pieces in order to help them feel more engaged with the topics discussed.

Educational Program Description

Title: Printmaking for activism

Learning Groups: Open to students ages 14+ with beginner to intermediate experience and ability to handle sharpened tools.

The workshop can either take place over the course of one 6-hour day, or lengthened to five three-hour sessions over the course of a week. Space for up to 10 students would be required including chairs, tables, and basic relief-print supplies such as linoleum, carving gouges, ink, rollers, and paper. A formal printmaking studio is not required.

The intension of this workshop is to engage students in a discussion of visual communication and activism while learning how to execute their message through artistic means.

We begin by examining discussing the history of printmaking in activist spaces, and look at specific examples such as Goya’s ‘Disasters of War’ and Keith Haring’s work for the Rise Up movement. Students are then asked to think about a movement or cause they feel strongly about and brainstorm symbols and themes that communicate their specific message. Once they have designed their image, we transfer them onto linoleum blocks and I give a demonstration of how to safely and cleanly carve their image, this is followed by a print demonstration.

Technical Requirements

Space for up to 10 students would be required including chairs, tables, and basic relief-print supplies such as linoleum, carving gouges, ink, rollers, and paper. A formal printmaking studio is not required. Access to a press is ideal but in no way required.

Audiences

• Secondary (Middle/High School) Students
• College/University Students
• Adults