Gina Herrera, A Welcomed Beginning, 2021
Gina Herrera, A Welcomed Beginning, 2021
Gina Herrera
A Welcomed Beginning, 2021
Paper Size: 26x20 in.
Image Siez: 24 x 18 in.
Serigraph, Edition of 60
A Welcomed Beginning represents Herrera's return to two-dimensional artwork, which initally posed a challenge to her as she thought in a new perspective. Herrera initially wanted to use an image of her father in the Navy, but then decided to pay homage to her father through a different design. In the print, Herrera took a photocopy of two three-dimensional sculptures and reassabled the image to make a new sculpture for the print. Although this print shows the pain that she and her mother felt when her father died, this print shows them finally giving the ok that he is going to the heavens for a new beginning. The hummingbird is significant because her father used to sit on a swing before he died, and when he sat outside hummingbirds would constantly visit him, almost as spirit guides. The print shows the feathers falling from the hummingbird to represent the gifts he always gives her after his death. Herrera kept the color scheme light, soft, and tranquil because even though she is in pain since her father's passing, she and her mom are at peace that he is no longer suffering.
Atelier Statement:
A transition can be an emotional, mental, and or even physical passage from one point or state to another. For this atelier, SHG invited a multigenerational group of military veteran artists whose paths led them to transition from civilians to soldiers to artists. The seven artists will address themes already embedded in their practice or explore new concepts through a Serigraph print. While SHG has always been a home to a community of veterans who sought the arts to manage PTSD or connect to a community of artists, Transitions will be the first veteran-focused suite of serigraphs printed at SHG.
Artists include Joe Devera, Fanny Garcia, Gina Herrera, Leo Limon, Yvette Pino, Pedro Rios Martinez, and Peter Tovar.
Artist Biography:
Born in 1969, Gina Herrera was raised in Chicago and currently resides in California. She has a BFA in Art Education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In the course of her studies, she was deployed overseas in support of several war contingencies with the United States Army. Once her final tour was complete, she obtained her MFA from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
As a graduate student, she was awarded a Provost Fellowship, an MFA scholarship and was nominated for the Joan Mitchell MFA Foundation Award in 2012. Herrera received a full fellowship from the Harpo Foundation Native American Fellowship to attend the Vermont Studio Center in 2013.
Herrera has exhibited extensively throughout California and nationally. She has been privileged to receive recognition for her work through grants and several awards. Herrera’s dedication to service extends to all aspects of her professional life – from her 20+ years in the military to educating and inspiring the next generation as an art teacher at Arvin High School and Adjunct Professor at Bakersfield College.