Profile: The Genius of Lou Stovall
Master Printmaker is Not Afraid to Share His Craft
Silkscreens are not just for T-shirts; they are a tool to make fine art, and in the right hands, they can also build community.
Lou Stovall, master printmaker, has been praised for his work in the field of silkscreen printmaking, and for taking the genre to new heights. He has changed the way people view printmaking – elevating what was once solely viewed as a commercial endeavor into an artistic medium. He knows that he did not change people’s views on printmaking or create his outstanding body of work alone. All along there were others who helped him, just as he assists other artists in honing their skills. He expressed it best in the program for a 2001 exhibition of his work, where he wrote “It takes a community to build a life.”
Stovall came to Washington DC in 1962 to attend Howard University. After just one day in the DC area, Stovall realized that it was a wonderful place. “I’ve never felt as comfortable anywhere as I do in DC,” he says. His involvement with the city’s creative community began during his days as a student at Howard University.
Stovall treasures the example set for him by James A. Porter, one his instructors who also became one of his chief mentors. Besides talking with them, Porter would pile students in his car and drive them around DC to give them a sense of place and a view of their surroundings. As Stovall remembers, few instructors and specifically few department heads (which Porter was), would take the time to do that. In addition to Porter, Stovall can recall dozens of people who took the time to help him. His earliest community was his family, and they along with teachers and others he knew during his formative years impressed upon him the importance of sharing. Stovall learned early in life that if you have a good thing and keep it to yourself, you will have to live knowing that you purposely gave up the opportunity to help someone.
It was that spirit of community that Lou Stovall took with him when he left home. It caused him not to forget others when he was given the opportunity to have his own workshop. Phillip Stern and his wife, Leni wanted to help breathe new life into the arts in Washington DC in the late 1960s. Walter Hopps, another friend and mentor of Stovall, decided to bring the printmaker to see the Sterns. When the Sterns asked Stovall what he would do if he had enough money, he said he would buy tools, open a workshop, and that anyone who wanted to learn with him could come and do so. The Sterns were not just asking out or curiosity- they actually gave Stovall $10,000 grant, money he used to start Workshop, Inc.
The initial rules of Workshop, Inc were that Stovall would teach anyone who wanted to learn, as long as they agreed to stay around to teach someone else. Although the social climate of the world at large has changed since it started in the 1960s, Workshop, Inc has not changed much over the years,. Still, it is not only a place to learn silkscreening techniques, but also a forum for discussing and encouraging creativity.
The interns and students benefit from being able to talk about art and life just as Stovall benefited from discussions like these with mentors such as James Porter and Jacob Lawrence. It is important for his students and the community at large to have him as an example. Stovall could have easily spent his initial grant money on a workshop for himself only. Instead he set up Workshop, Inc. where he continues his work and helps fellow artists to grow their talents as well. By requiring that students help one another, Stovall emphasizes the notion that art requires cooperation and community. No one can create without the input of others. As he learned in childhood, hoarding is more harmful than helpful and it is the exchange of ideas that fosters growth.
In addition to teaching other artisans at Workshop, Inc., Stovall also reaches the DC Community through talks, lectures, and of course through his craft. Stovall is someone who truly enjoys his work and he does not plan to stop. He intends to keep working and has no thoughts of retiring, so the DC arts community and the city as a whole will benefit from his talent for years to come.
