By Marvella Muro

Self Help Graphics & Art is honored to welcome Kalli Arte Collective to its Beyond the Press artists in residence program in 2022. Kalli Arte is formed by self-taught artists Adriana Carranza and Alfonso Aceves from Boyle Heights. As a family and as individual artists, their work is influenced by their ancestral and contemporary traditions, culture, environment, and social justice ideals. Calli or Kalli (home in Nahuatl) guides the collective's printmaking practice. Their style is unequivocal. Their bold colors and lines transform quotidian objects in the Latinx community, tchotchkes, mesoamerican ancestors, and the neighborhood faces underscore the pride in their work, medium, and roots. 

“It is exciting to welcome Kalli Arte to SHG. This is a mutual opportunity for Kalli Arte to inspire and be inspired by the creative community that encompasses this organization. Their artistic path is remarkable, and I hope that through this experience, Kalli Arte garners the tools, mentorship, and time to foster their creative growth,” said Marvella Muro, Director of Artistic Programs and Education. 

“​​Together, we hope to bring something special to our beloved community of Boyle Heights. It means so much to us to be able to represent everything that encompasses our existence here. We are the artists of our environment and say this with so much pride, dignity, and respect from a place we were raised in,” said Kalli Collective. “We want to acknowledge all our friends and family who have believed in us and guided us along the way.  We love you and hope to make our community proud!”

Formerly known as AIR (artist in residence), Beyond the Press invites one interdisciplinary artist to create a new body of work over the course of a year. The work created during the residency will culminate with an exhibition in SHG’s 1,200 square foot exhibition space. Artists are selected through a nomination process and by invitation only. Once an artist is nominated, they are contacted and invited to complete an online application and submit work samples. The Beyond the Press artist in residence program is supported in part by the Andy Warhol Foundation and generous anonymous private donors. Learn more about Beyond the Press at www.selfhelpgraphics.com/beyondthepress.

Adriana Carranza has always considered herself an artist. Her love for designing imagery has never left her. She has delved into writing, tried fashion design in high school, and, of course, art. With time and practice, she has built her confidence in her art practice guided by love, loss, struggle, women empowerment, femininity, nature, beauty, and whatever calls her. Although her preferred medium is ink, she loves any medium that comes her way.

Alfonso Aceves is a self-taught printmaker born and raised in Boyle Heights. As a 3rd generation Mexican, he felt disconnected from his culture and ancestors while growing up. Through printmaking, Alfonso was able to find that connection to the spirit, the culture, and the power of his history. His art process provides him with an understanding that our shared stories are related and hopefully inform us of our connection to the past, the land, the sky, and one another. As his practice evolves, so has his confidence in his work and the messages he conveys.

About Self Help Graphics & Art
Since its incorporation in 1973, SHG has produced more than 2,000 art print editions, including 62 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. Now, nearly a half-century later, SHG continues to foster emerging Chicana/o and Latinx artists through its world-class printmaking practice and supports the role of artists as leaders, both within its organization and the community. For more information, visit www.selfhelpgraphics.com. 

Marvella Muro is Self Help Graphics & Art’s Director of Artistic Programs and Education. Jennfer Cuevas contributed to this story.