ABOUT

Entre Tinta y Lucha: 45 Years of Self Help Graphics & Art
Exhibition on view at Fine Arts Gallery August 21 through September 29, 2018
A partnership between Cal State LA and Self Help Graphics & Art,
with support from Cal State LA's Fine Arts Gallery
 

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. 

The exhibition also looks forward to an exciting evolution of Chicana/o and Latinx aesthetics. Undeniably, Self Help Graphics & Art has continued to represent the heart of the Chicano Art Movement in Los Angeles. Before major art institutions began exploring community engagement in the arts, SHG understood the power of art to affect change in our communities and that this shared experience defined how people from diverse backgrounds related to each other through their creative practices. Now, nearly a half century later, SHG continues to foster emerging Chicana/o and Latinx artists through its world-class printmaking studio and supports the role of artists as leaders, both within its organization and the community. A series of artist-led panels from the perspective of SHG’s print studio (see programming), will accompany the exhibition to get perspective from the artists themselves about the history and value of the organization to the community and the greater Los Angeles art world.   

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 beginning August 21, 2018- September 29, 2018. The Fine Arts Gallery is located at Cal State LA's main campus and is open Monday-Friday, 12pm-5pm. The gallery will be open extended hours, 6pm-9pm, during exhibition programming on the following Thursdays: September 6th, September 13, and September 27.

+ + + +

#EntreTintayLucha #SHGLegacy #Calstatela

Self Help Graphics & Art

• Instagram @SHG1970

• Twitter @SHG1970

• Facebook @SelfHelpGraphics

Cal State LA

• Instagram @CalStateLA | @CalStateLAAL | @CalStateLAFineArtsGallery

• Twitter @CalStateLA | @CalStateLAAL

• Facebook @CalStateLA | @CalStateLAAL | @FineArtsGalleryCalStateLA

RSVP FOR THE OPENING RECEPTION

AUGUST 25, 2018, 5-8PM

Programming 

Entre Tinta y Lucha will include programming to further explore artist perspectives, their experiences as part of SHG's Professional Printmaking Program and how the organization impacted their professional trajectory. Additionally, the series touches on topics such as the technical side of printmaking, social justice, historical contributions, gender, and identity. The exhibition, panel discussions and SHG's Barrio Mobile Art Studio workshop will be hosted at Cal State L.A.'s Fine Arts Gallery.

Exploring Technical Excellence
Thurs. Sept 6, 6-7:15pm | FREE

Margaret Alarcon (Moderator)
Featuring panelists Miyo Stevens-Gandara, Delilah Montoya, Chaz Bojorquez and Roberto Delgado

A panel discussion to explore the processes that artists use to experiment with screen printing and learn new techniques. 

+ + + +

Barrio Mobile Art Studio (BMAS)
Thurs. Sept 6, 7:30-8:45pm  | FREE
Dewey Tafoya (SHG Artist In Residence for BMAS)

Join Self Help Graphics' own mobile art studio at Cal State LA's campus and participate in a DIY workshop to create a unique work of art to take home with you. 

+ + + +

Cultural Significance & Social Justice in Printmaking
Thurs. Sept 13, 6-7:15pm  | FREE
Martha Gonzalez (Moderator)
Featured panelists Linda Vallejo, Malaquias Montoya, Ernesto Yerena and Luis Genaro Garcia

A discussion that will explore how art takes an active role in political and social struggles. 

+ + + +

Embracing Identity in Chicana/o & Latinx Art
Thurs. Sept 13, 7:30-8:45pm  | FREE
Alex Espinoza (Moderator)
Shizu Saldamando, Dolores Guerrero-Cruz, Lilia Ramirez and John Valadez

A panel to learn ways that artists construct, convey and question identity through their artwork. 

Maestras
Thurs. Sept 27, 6-7:15pm  | FREE
Victoria Delgadillo (Moderator)
Yreina Cervantez, Barbara Carrasco, Dalila Mendez, and Judy Baca

Artists will discuss the barriers and opportunities that female printmakers encountered in working in the screen print studio at SHG and the significant role that they played in shaping the program and organization.

+ + + +

Challenging the Binary: Queerness in Printmaking
Thurs. Sept 27, 7:30-8:45pm  | FREE
Dionne Espinoza (Moderator)
Dalila Mendez, Alex Alferov and Cynthia Velasquez

A conversation about how printmakers use the medium to address and express queer identities and politics through their art.