The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum (FWM), presents Threaded Currents, an exhibition showcasing large-scale, textile-based works by former FWM Apprentices who are PAFA alumni or students, including YuLee Murphy, who is currently a senior at Abington Senior High School.
Now through April 12, 2026, the exhibition highlights the intersection of classical fine arts training and experimental printmaking, bringing together more than 30 works by 20 artists. YuLee's work that was chosen for the exhibition is a large-scale screen print titled "Fish Braids", which was created when they participated in the Fabric Workshop High School Internship Program during the summer of 2023.
Curated by 2025 FWM Apprentices Sarah Lewis and Greg Martino, Threaded Currents is centered around a selection of striking repeat-patterns captured on banners that hang at an imposing seven feet in length. Each print was hand screenprinted during the artists’ participation in the FWM Apprentice Training Program—a highly regarded, hands-on program that trains emerging artists in contemporary screenprinting and textile processes. Works created before and after the apprenticeship suggest how the experience influenced and expanded the artists’ practice. In addition to finished works, the exhibition includes the artists’ personal sketches, mylar screen drawings, color tests, and printed objects, such as pillows and sculptures, offering insight into the collaborative and process-driven nature of the apprenticeship.
Threaded Currents explores how traditional training in drawing, painting, and sculpture translates into contemporary textile works; how mentorship and collaboration shape emerging artistic identities; and how historical methods and experimental approaches converge in the studios of artists forging new paths in material and conceptual art.
For more information and a list of other featured artists, visit the Fabric Workshop Museum's website.