Artwork by Wayne Alaniz Healey, Bolero Familiar, 2002
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Entre Tinta y Lucha: 45 Years of Self Help Graphics & Art
Exhibition on view at the Cal State LA Fine Arts Gallery August 21 through September 29
Opening reception on August 25
Entre Tinta y Lucha celebrates the 45th anniversary of the East Los Angeles cultural and community art organization, Self Help Graphics & Art (SHG). The exhibition looks back at over four decades of the organization’s artistic innovation and excellence, organizational resilience and expanded activity, by featuring a display of over fifty fine art prints from throughout the organization’s history. Inspired by the Chicano Movement of the late 1960s and the rise of printmaking as a legitimate art form during the same period, SHG was founded by Franciscan nun, Sister Karen Boccalero, and local Chicano artists Carlos Bueno, Antonio Ibañez, and Frank Hernandez in East Los Angeles. Since its incorporation in 1973, SHG has produced over 1,000 art print editions, including 54 Atelier projects and exhibitions all over the world. The organization remains dedicated to the production, interpretation and distribution of prints and other art media by Chicana/o and Latinx artists; and its multidisciplinary, intergenerational programs promote artistic excellence and empower community by providing access to working space, tools, training and beyond.
Entre Tinta y Lucha marks a historic collaboration between Self Help Graphics & Art and Cal State LA-- two community institutions with roots in the Eastside of Los Angeles. The exhibition, panel discussions and workshop will be hosted at Cal State LA’s Fine Arts Gallery and is curated by university faculty members Michelle Lopez, MA/MFA and Victor Hugo Viesca, PhD., in partnership with Self Help Graphics & Art. The exhibition is FREE and open to Cal State LA students and the public. Click here, for additional exhibition information.
In conjunction with the month-long exhibit and opening reception, there will be a hands-on art making workshop and artist panels at the Fine Arts Gallery:
Thursday, September 6
Exploring Technical Excellence | 6-7:15 p.m.
A discussion to explore the processes that artists use to experiment with screen-printing and learn new techniques.
Barrio Mobile Art Studio | 7:30 - 8:45 p.m.
Join Self Help Graphics’ own mobile art studio on campus and participate in a DIY workshop to create a unique work of art to take home with you.
Thursday, September 13
Cultural Significance & Social Justice in Printmaking | 6-7:15 p.m.
A discussion that will explore how art takes an active role in political and social struggles.
Embracing Identity in Chicana/o & Latinx Art | 7:30-8:45 p.m.
Learn ways that artists construct, convey and question identity through their artwork.
Thursday, September 27
Maestras | 6-7:15 p.m.
Artists will discuss the significant role that the female printmakers encountered in working in the screen-print studio at Self Help Graphics and the significant role they played in shaping the program and organization.
RSVP
Challenging the Binary: Queerness in Printmaking | 7:30-8:45 p.m.
A conversation about how printmakers use the medium to address and express queer identities and politics through their art.
