By: Vero Urubio

I was first introduced to Self Help Graphics & Art through their famous Dia de Los Muertos celebrations. Later as a high school student at (Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA), I attended the CAP after-school program at SHG. As their intern for Documentation and Archives, I felt welcomed back into a space filled with familiar and new faces—even before I took those first few steps to the entrance of the building! I applied for the Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internship with Self Help Graphics to give back to the space and its staff that had given me so much, empowering me for years to come in my pursuit to see spaces of accessibility kept accessible in underserved communities.

In my time at Self Help, I took on a plethora of assignments and gained experiences I am incredibly grateful to have played a role in. For instance, I learned how to handle prints properly and search through the archives at Self Help—“holding history,” as my supervisor, Lulu Urdiales, had said. Betty Avila, Executive Director of Self Help, once told us over a Zoom presentation on the history behind the doors of the place we had found ourselves how “you don’t find history in just one place.” Still, I propose Self Help Graphics & Art makes for a great space to start! 

I met with familiar and new artists in the studio and thought-provoking programmings like Miyo Stevens-Gandara, Pedro Rios Martinez, Martha Carillo, Diego Robles, Aydinaneth Ortiz, and Dewey Tafoya. The Annual Print Fair saw me at the front desk, greeting people and learning how they heard about Self Help. The staff met with us new interns, and we delved deeper into their position, devotion to the work they were committing to at this non-profit, and the impact of working in a space as bustling and fulfilling as Self Help. Finally, I was encouraged to sit in on (and participate in) the demonstrations and workshops I had once been a participant of myself. 

One of the most daunting tasks was assisting with the Our Future, Our Voice, Our Way Youth Committee in-person exhibit because of how many moving parts there were to keep track, integral to the show’s success as a whole. However, one of the most rewarding experiences during my internship was the Learning Community events organized by Marvella Muro—my peer group’s Learning Community Leader and Director of Artistic Programs and Education at Self Help Graphics & Art. Through sweltering heat and poignant advice, the Learning Community events brought the interns incredible and down-to-earth speakers such as Marisol Jara, Veronica Alvarez Quiroz, Rebeca Vega, and Joe Galarza.

Throughout my experience, I was given overwhelming support in my endeavor for a project that I would dedicate a portion of my internship towards utilizing Self Help’s resources. I came up with a project from earlier research I completed on the evolution of the albatross’ symbolism from the Romantic era to the Modern Day, looking into what associations became prevalent when people consider avians soaring through the sky long before we were. I chose five prints (and created one myself!) to assess the ways in which artists utilize birds within the contexts of the print, all in a manner similar to how I approached my work. This digital zine is linked below!

Self Help Graphics is a microcosm filled with the stories of resilience shown through the work and actions of the staff pushing it forward. This is a place of deeply rooted history with the community they work with, and I am so honored to have raised cups with all of these wonderful people. I would recommend applying for future internship openings to anyone looking for hit-the-ground-running experience in a space that caters to the community through means beyond outreach and programming, but a genuine acknowledgment of the people who make up the company culture rooted in care and collaboration. 

Vero Urubio is a Self Help Graphics & Art Getty Documentation and Archives Intern, majoring in English at Loyola Marymount University 2022. Vero is also an artist, writer, and library-enthusiast.