East Meets West at Mess Hall Press

Art and Biology students from East High School have joined their counterparts from West in a project that’s all about applying classroom learning for a noble cause.

Together, along with local design professionals and college art students, they’ve brainstormed, designed and created a line of stylish screen-printed t-shirts with a focus on sustainability.

The collaboration has taken place over the course of five weeks at Mess Hall Press, a graphic design and printmaking studio in the Lussier Teen Center. It’s all part of a national project sponsored by the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA)—Design Ignites Change. The project, which runs annually, challenges professional designers and students around the country to collaborate on ways to communicate messages about a single social issue.

“This year’s theme is sustainability. So when we were asked to participate it felt like a perfect match,” says Scott Pauli, founder and director of Mess Hall Press. “We’ve always been focused on challenging kids to think about how they can keep art a part of their lives as they move on to college and then ‘the real world.’ Communicating complex ideas in interesting, understandable ways is one way to do that.”

The results from Madison’s Mess Hall Press and other community efforts from around the country will be featured later this year in a traveling art exhibit, as well as a commemorative publication. You can get your sneak peek in a weekend’s worth of local Earth Day events.

First up is a Friday evening (5:30-7:30pm, April 21) opening reception at CONTEXT men’s clothing store on King Street. The event will include a t-shirt showing and sale, refreshments, a live DJ and video footage from the project. Then, on Saturday afternoon, you’ll find Mess Hall Press at the Habitat ReStore’s Earth Day Celebration, from noon – 4pm. There, you’ll have a chance to speak with Pauli and team to hear more about the project and Mess Hall Press in general.