This workshop is free by registration to ages 13+. Registration details will be announced soon.
Join visiting artist JiLei Wu from the China Academy of Art for The Art of Xinjiang Stamp-Printing, an opportunity to learn a new technique, explore an important cultural tradition, and contribute to an interactive community exhibition.
Xinjiang stamp-printing (模戳印花) is a traditional textile printing and dyeing process based on carved relief blocks that is practiced in Uyghur-inhabited regions of China and has a history of over 3,000 years. Through repeated stamping and dyeing, artisans create patterned textiles that embody regional aesthetics, accumulated craft knowledge, and Uyghur cultural identity. Today, it represents both heritage preservation and contemporary artistic adaptation and is recognized as an important element of China’s cultural heritage.
The workshop includes an introduction to the technique’s historical and visual background, demonstration of basic skills such as block handling and pigment application, and guided hands-on practice. It is designed for participants without prior artistic training but with interests in East Asian culture, printmaking, textile arts, or ethnic studies. Participants will learn the foundational process of Xinjiang stamp-printing and create a small textile sample. Participants may adapt traditional motifs or design original patterns, encouraging both cultural appreciation and creative interpretation.
Participants may also choose to lend their artworks to an interactive community exhibition at Notre Dame’s Riley Hall of Art and Design, curated by Wu with support from Notre Dame alumna Yingxin Liu with support from Notre Dame Beijing and Professor Justin Barfield of the Department of Art, Art History, and Design. The exhibition features textile samples and stamp-printed artworks from Xinjiang, China, alongside the materials produced by the community and selected print-based work by local artists.
By presenting traditional works alongside new creations, the exhibition invites reflection on how heritage techniques evolve in modern contexts, including conversations about sustainability, material experimentation, and cultural continuity.
Learn more about the project and creative team
About the Venue
Address: South Bend Museum of Art, 120 S Doctor M.L.K. Jr Blvd.
South Bend Museum of Art is a vibrant organization firmly committed to showing the enduring power of the visual arts, creating community, and nurturing growth through exhibitions, collections, and educational programs. The museum’s facilities are wheelchair accessible. You may drop off passengers at the front entrance by the circle drive off Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Please contact Kolten Sizer at sizerk@southbendart.org with accessibility questions or requests.
Parking at the museum is available in the Century Center lot for $5 or in other nearby parking facilities or on-street parking in the downtown area.
Funding & Support
This workshop is made possible with funding from Notre Dame Beijing and the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures. Venues, exhibition materials, and staffing support provided by Notre Dame’s Department of Art, Art History, and Design, the Cultural Heritage Innovation Lab at Beijing Normal University, La Casa de Amistad, and South Bend Museum of Art.
The Art of Xinjiang Stamp-Printing is a partner program of the 2027 Notre Dame Arts Biennial and is supported with funding from the Notre Dame Arts Initiative.
Photo courtesy of the project leaders.