Regarding the print, Flores says, “The focus of this print is on the children featured and the potential that was lost when they died in the hands of Border Patrol custody. This is a call back and reminder to our immigrant past, of the many transplants from other countries, of my own siblings who entered this country as children.”

The children depicted, left to right, are Juan de Leon Gutierrez, Wilmer Josue Ramirez Vasquez, Anadith Danay Reyes Alvarez, Carlos Gregorio Hernandez Vasquez, Marlee Juarez, Felipe Gómez Alonzo, and Jakelin Caal. All of the children depicted came to the United States from Central America seeking asylum, and from 2018 to 2023 died under Border Patrol custody from both preventable and completely treatable illnesses like the flu, respiratory, sinus, and bacterial infections, and pneumonia.

Consuelo G. Flores, Monarchs and Migration: Children at the Boarder of Freedom, 2026
Screenprint, 26.5” x 20” sheet, Artwork photograph by Eric Jaipal

Note: This year’s Día de los Muertos Commemorative Print ships in September.
Order before October 1, 2026, and receive a free Día de los Muertos shirt or tote bag with your purchase.

“All of these children that are in the background…you can see them, they’re like little angels,” Flores says. “It was important to honor these children because they were babies…I could not just not honor these kids.”

For her, the work is grounded in both grief and outrage. “It’s horrifying enough that they died in Border Patrol custody. But they died from the flu. They died from completely preventable illnesses, completely treatable illnesses. So, the fact that they were allowed to die - that is murder.”

When they witness the piece, she’s asking viewers to look more closely, to move beyond the surface. “When viewers view my print, first of all, I want them to think it’s beautiful, with the colors and everything. And then I want them to study it. And then I want them to see the faces of those children.”

That act of looking is central to this work. Flores shares, “I want people to understand that…these were children who were smart. Who knew who they were.” She wonders, “Who could they have been? What would they have brought?” 

In sharing this piece, her intention is not only to honor the children lost, but also to activate us. “I want people to be horrified after it sinks in and I want people to be mobilized to…do what you can do to stop this madness and really uplift our communities. I’m honoring these children because I don’t want people to forget them.”

At the same time, she holds space for healing. “I want to uplift our community, which has been so wounded. I want us to recognize our wounds, but I don’t want us to lose hope and I don’t want us to use the pain of those wounds for anything but….fighting off this horrible attempt to erase us.”

Born and raised in East Los Angeles, Flores’ relationship with Self Help Graphics began when she was 19. After encountering Califas: An Exhibition of Chicano Artists in California, a 1981 exhibition at UC Santa Cruz (where she was studying as an undergraduate), she returned home and met Sister Karen Boccalero, SHG’s founder. “If she saw passion in you, if she saw ‘know-how’ in you, if she was able to recognize skills and abilities, she gave you free rein over what you could do at Self Help. Whatever she saw in you, she supported.”

Soon after, Flores became co-director of SHG’s gallery, curating exhibitions and producing events while immersing herself in Día de los Muertos traditions. What began as research became something deeper through practice. “Self Help Graphics was the birthplace of my cultural awakening,” she shares.

Día de los Muertos Exhibition at Self Help Graphics in 1989. 35mm slides courtesy of the California Ethnic and Multicultural Archives at the University of California, Santa Barbara

Although Flores has been part of the SHG community for more than 45 years, this is her first serigraph produced in the Professional Printmaking Studio. She made it in collaboration with Dewey Tafoya, Self Help Graphics’ Lead Printer, and Gabby Claro, SHG’s Studio Assistant.

Inspired by a photographic approach, she set out to create a print that would function like an altar - just like the 2025 Día de los Muertos Community Altar that she created at Gloria Molina Grand Park, honoring immigrants who have been persecuted in the United States.

That altar featured a papier-mâché Statue of Liberty torch filled with monarch butterflies and cellophane, rising from a bed of sunflowers and marigolds. Thousands visited the installation, leaving over 500 notes—messages of remembrance, migration stories, and expressions of solidarity. Her daughter-in-law Omega Norte took a photograph of it and her son Alain Flores Norte helped with the design of the print, adding photos of children who have died while in Border Patrol custody in the background, surrounded by marigolds and monarchs.

Day of the Dead Community Altar by Consuelo G. Flores at Gloria Molina Grand Park in 2025. Photos Courtesy of Stephen Blackburn.

Flores says, “The sunflowers represent the Native American soil on which the Statue of Liberty stands and is a reminder that unless you or your ancestors are Indigenous to this land, or your ancestors were brought as enslaved people, everyone here is an immigrant.

The stories of immigrants reflect tragedy, resilience, fortitude, love, and ultimately hope. The monarch butterflies represent migration and that hope immigrants of all backgrounds strive for – of a metamorphosis from struggle to success, in the land of opportunity. Migration is part of nature, part of the human spirit. Migration is to explore, to survive, to seek shelter and create a better life.”

For Flores, even the text of the title holds meaning. The word “boarder” is marked with an “X,” underscoring that the children are no longer “boarders” in detention—they died there.

Ultimately, Flores invites us to spend time with her piece —to study it, to unpack its layers, and to look closely at the faces of these young and completely innocent children who had both their freedom and their young lives taken from them.

To learn more about the process behind Consuelo’s print, we invite you to check out the video below:

THE STORIES OF THE CHILDREN HONORED IN THE PRINT 

Carlos Gregorio Hernandez Vasquez
Carlos Gregorio Hernandez Vasquez, an ambitious 16 year old athlete and musician, traveled from San Jose del Rodeo, Guatemala to the United States by bus with his sister, eventually crossing the Rio Grande River and arriving near Hidalgo, Texas, where they were detained by Border Patrol agents. He was taken to an overcrowded processing center in McAllen, Texas on May 13, 2019, where he was diagnosed with the flu. By May 19, 2019, he had a fever of 103 degrees. There, the nurse practitioner recommended that he be checked on in two hours, and if his condition did not improve, he should be taken to a hospital. Instead, he was moved to a cell for quarantine in Waslaco, a Border Patrol station, so he would not infect others. The next morning, he was found dead by his cellmate. ProRepublica acquired a video of Carlos’s last hours in the cell, which contrasts with the press release shared by the Customs and Border Protection regarding this tragedy. Viewer note: the video shows Carlos’ suffering, which was exacerbated by the negligence of the CBP officers.

Marlee Juarez
Yazmin Juarez and her 17 month old baby Marlee Juarez traveled from Guatemala to the United States in search of safety and better opportunities. They were detained and transferred to a Customs and Border Protection facility, where they were locked in a cage, referred to by many as an “ice box”, with 30 migrants. They were then taken to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, where baby Marlee was found to be healthy. However, Yazmin remembers that a lot of the children at that detention center were sick, and six weeks later, Marlee got a respiratory infection. Marlee was given over the counter medicine, antibiotics, and was eventually taken to a hospital, where Jazmin was not even allowed to hug or hold her daughter. Marlee spent her last days on a ventilator, and died on May 10, 2018, when she was just 19 months old.

Juan de Leon Gutierrez
Juan de Leon Gutierrez’s hometown of Camotán, Guatemala had undergone a drought, affecting the maize, bean, and coffee fields he worked in, limiting the area’s already scarce economic opportunities. On April 14, 2019, 16 year old Juan traveled from Guatemala to the United States with a coyote, hoping to reunite with his brother, who had undergone a similar journey in 2011, with the goal of supporting his family with remittances. He was detained on April 19, 2019, and then sent to a migrant youth shelter in Brownsville, Texas, where he died on April 30, 2019, following a surgery meant to relieve a Pott’s puffy tumor, which is usually caused by an untreated sinus infection or head trauma.

Wilmer Josue Ramirez Vasquez
Two year old Wilmer Josue Ramirez Vasquez and his mother were detained by Border Patrol agents on April 3, 2019, near the Paso del Norte International Bridge in El Paso, Texas. This bridge is a temporary outdoor detention center with no adequate infrastructure, just a chainlink fence. Migrants that are held there sleep on dirt floors and are exposed to cold and windy nights. Wilmer got sick three days later and was taken to Providence Children’s Hospital in El Paso, where he was hospitalized for approximately a month, until he died. He had been diagnosed with pneumonia.

Felipe Gomez Alonzo
Agustin Gomez Perez traveled to the United States from Guatemala with his oldest son, eight year old Felipe Gomez Alonzo, seeking asylum as a way to escape the extreme poverty in Yalambojoch, located in the municipality of Nentón, in the department of Huehuetenango, Guatemala. In order to undergo this arduous journey, Agustin took out a loan. Many community members from his rural hometown had crossed the border with their children, convincing Agustin that the same would be possible for him and his son. After being detained by Border Patrol mid-December 2018 in El Paso, Texas, Agustin and Felipe were taken to many holding facilities in New Mexico and Texas which were known for their terrible conditions such as dirt floors and overcrowding. Shortly thereafter, young Felipe developed a fever, a sore throat, and congestion due to a staph infection in his lungs. He eventually developed sepsis. Upon  hospitalization, he was erroneously diagnosed with the common cold, and was given medication and released. Just hours later, he died from complications of an influenza B infection with Staphylococcus aureus superinfection and sepsis shortly before midnight on December 24, 2018.

Jakelin Caal Maquin
Seven year old Jakelin Caal Maquin and her father Nery Gilberto Caal Cuz, both from a Mayan Qʼeqchiʼ Indigenous community in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, traveled to the United States in December 2018, seeking asylum. They were detained by Border Patrol near New Mexico’s border on December 6, 2018. Hours later after being placed in a bus, Jakelin was feverish and was vomiting. Once they arrived at a Border Patrol location, she was seen by medical staff. Hours later, she suffered from seizures and a fever of 105.7°F. This prompted her flight to a hospital in El Paso, Texas, where she died the next day. An autopsy report concluded that the cause of death was Streptococcal sepsis, which had spread to her liver, lungs and other organs.

Anadith Danay Reyes Alvarez
Mabel Alvarez Benedicks traveled from Mexico to the United States, arriving near Brownsville, Texas, on May 9, 2023, with her husband and their three children. One of them was eight-year-old Anadith Danay Reyes Alvarez, who was born in Panama. Anadith had chronic heart conditions and sickle cell anemia—an immunocompromised condition that requires constant medication, which Mabel had documented and shared with officials upon arrival. Anadith was diagnosed with the flu shortly after entering U.S. custody. The family was then taken to a Border Patrol facility in Harlingen, Texas, where young Anadith woke up with a fever and pain in her bones. Mabel requested her daughter be taken to the hospital but agents said her flu diagnosis did not require hospital care. Her symptoms got worse. She received some medication but she still had breathing problems, a sore throat, and couldn't walk. After being detained for eight days in Border Patrol facilities, Anadith’s body went unconscious and she died.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Consuelo G. Flores is a Los Angeles-based writer, multidisciplinary artist, and cultural worker best known for her deep involvement in Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) cultural practices, theater, poetry, and community arts education. She has played a significant role in promoting and interpreting Mexican and Chicana/o cultural traditions through both artistic and educational work. 

Flores is recognized for her writing, poetry, playwriting, and performance work. She holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Antioch University, Los Angeles.  She actively engages in cultural education and community art, especially focused on Día de los Muertos. This includes building altars (ofrendas), writing “Literary Altars,” and teaching about the cultural and historical significance of the celebration. 

Flores has written and directed plays and been involved with theater companies, including producing works at festivals like the Frida Kahlo Theater, Brisk, and Fierce Backbone play festivals. Her play Soul Sacrifice, about the impact the Vietnam War and the protest against it had on a Mexican American family in East Los Angeles, will have a four-week full production run at Casa 0101 in Boyle Heights from May thru June 2026. She’s been published as part of a unique writing collective of women whose book of threaded poetry An Illegal Feast was released in July 2025 through Broadstone Press. Their second book Carnivores And Other Lovers will be released in late summer 2026 through the same publisher.

*** Self Help Graphics recognizes that the "A" in boarder is capitalized on certain web pages - this is a web coding technicality due to an inability to feature strikethrough letters on certain platforms, not a misspelling.

The printmaker for Self Help Graphics & Art’s 52nd Annual Día de los Muertos Commemorative Print is Gabby Claro, who first joined SHG through the 2015 SOY Artista summer youth program and later became a teaching artist with our Barrio Mobile Art Studio (BMAS). Today, she serves as Studio Assistant to Lead Printer Dewey Tafoya.

As an artist raised in South Central LA, Claro focuses primarily on community, social consciousness and women’s rights. Using mediums like paintings, screen prints and beadwork, Claro pays homage to the communities that have nurtured and helped her growth.

Claro’s Commemorative Print is dedicated to Amanda Torres, also known as “Dandy Mandi”, who was an inspiring cultural worker, poet, community builder, and activist. Mandi was tragically killed on January 26, 2025 in Downtown LA’s Fashion District after defending her brother at a fight at an afterhours warehouse party. This cut short a brilliant young life - having recently graduated from UCLA, Mandi was working towards accomplishing her professional goals while also serving the community. Her loved ones remember her for her radiant presence and generous spirit—always helping those in need. She was active in pro-Palestine protests and, shortly before her death, helped feed the fire department during the Pacific Palisades and Altadena wildfires.

Before and during college, Mandi used her gifts to empower others and build community. She developed a devoted following on social media by promoting agency, growth, empowerment, and self-love, and co-led Let’s Give, a grassroots organization that mobilized collective action such as feeding unhoused neighbors. She was also a cultural organizer, hosting events like Night of the Blaxican and engaging in student organizing and mentoring. Through her work with MEChA, UCLA’s honors program, and creative writing instruction for high school and incarcerated youth, Mandi modeled transformative justice and compassion in action.

In this interview with SHG’s Communications Coordinator Jeny Amaya, which has been condensed and edited, Gabby Claro shares her growth as a printmaker, the process of making her commemorative print, and more.

JENY AMAYA

To start off, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey into printmaking?

GABBY CLARO

I kind of grew up being interested in art, like everybody that comes into the SHG space [is]. I had never heard of screen printing until Dewey’s week teaching SOY Artista. After the first class, I loved it, and I went every single day for all five weeks. They couldn't get rid of me. When I finished the program, the director reached out and asked me if I wanted to be a part of the Barrio Mobile Art Studio. I said yes and I went in to get trained through a one on one with Dewey, where he walked me through the whole process.  

I started working for BMAS and gaining confidence. It was such a good learning experience because I would dabble in everything and have different projects to be busy with.

But even if I wasn't working, the studio space was so helpful for me, especially because I had trouble asking for space. So for it to be provided for me, that helped me a lot artistically.

JENY AMAYA

What drew you to the medium of printmaking and how has it shaped the way you express your ideas?

GABBY CLARO

As a new medium, seeing the process was mesmerizing. I grew up being really shy and awkward, so designing shirts and other merchandise was a way for me to make slogans about topics that I cared about.

Being around the SHG building, there are so many people walking in and out of the place. Sometimes, I start to think “Everything's been done already”, and then I see somebody else walk in and create and I'm like, “Why didn't I think of that?” People in my community are so creative, [and] I take a lot from it. 

This print is very Yreina Cervantes. She's my favorite. I remember my high school teacher telling me not to use glitter because it was tacky, but I love glitter. And then I saw Yreina Cervantes [use hand poured glitter in her] prints, and I was really drawn to her work.

JENY AMAYA

Can you tell me more about the piece you created for this year's Dia de los Muertos Commemorative Print?

GABBY CLARO

With this print, I tried to cover heavy topics. My subject is Mandi, who was killed two weeks before I was asked to make the print, so it was still very fresh. Her passing weighed really heavily on me, [particularly] the way that she passed.
Once I thought of the design of the print, I was really set on it.  I just really wanted to honor her.

I was previously part of a collective called Ni Santas, who used to meet at SHG and organize art workshops with artists and collective members for women. At the time, we were organizing our two year fundraiser and I was in charge of reaching out to vendors or performers.  I reached out to Mandi and asked if she wanted to recite her poetry. She didn't even know me, but she said yes. She showed up. She stayed at the event, and she danced. We kind of just stayed Instagram friends. At the time, around 2017, I had a t-shirt website and she ordered a t-shirt with the slogan “Antes muerta que vencida” (Rather dead than defeated). I have one blurry screenshot of her [wearing it] in her Instagram Story. I just felt like the slogan on the shirt really encapsulated who she was, as she literally died defending her brother.

We were mutual friends on Instagram but I lost contact with her after she deactivated her account. I always wondered where she was. The first conversation I had with SHG’s Finance and Development Coordinator Madison Quiroz was actually about Mandi. Madison was like, “That was my roommate [at UCLA]. I don't know where she is, she kind of fell off the face of the earth for some of us.” Mandi had a huge following on Instagram and it was so interesting to see all the work she was doing. It was refreshing to me that her work was not performative. She was so passionate about their community and showing up.  She was such a strong figure. 

JENY AMAYA

What was it like being selected to make this year's commemorative print? Can you walk us through the process of the print from beginning to end? How was it working with Dewey?

GABBY CLARO

Marvella Muro, SHG’s former Director of Artistic, Curatorial & Educational Programs, approached me in mid-March. She was just like, “I need to talk to you”, and so we went to the back. Of course, I think I did something wrong; I thought I heard her wrong, but then I realized that I didn't, and I started crying. It's a really big deal!
I was shocked that they trusted me with the project. I think I had a little over two months, a little over one month to think of my design and sit with it. It's helpful being in the space because I would sketch something and get feedback.

I'm really indecisive, but also insecure. I want to see what people think I should move around or change. [So] I did it digitally. Every time the artist comes into the studio, it's so refreshing to see them do something hand-drawn. I felt so much pressure that I wanted to have something that was ready to present as soon as my week started at the studio.

I worked with Dewey every day in the studio, as I'm his assistant. He's been my mentor since I came into the space. He also gave me a lot of liberty and support with [the project].

I knew I wanted to add glitter to the print since before I had the design finished. At one point, I was going to use three different types of glitter. He was like, yeah, you're gonna want three different layers of glitter. 

At one point I had 14 colors, but I condensed it and it ended up being one color glitter. Dewey even came up with a different technique, making it easier to add glitter. He was really open and supportive throughout the whole process, as I think he just wanted to give me the space to really love this print and enjoy the experience. Being in the studio is really special, so I'm really grateful.

JENY AMAYA

Can you tell me more about the feelings or messages that you want to convey through the print?

GABBY CLARO

I wanted to capture Mandy's essence and she was so darks, gothy, and had a really strong connection to bats and that whole aesthetic. I knew I didn't want to make a colorful print. I wanted to keep the color really minimal. The whole lipstick idea, I drew from Esther Hernandez's recent Pachucxs Revisted print.  I met with her during the process of making the print. I asked for her advice on the layout of the print and the lipstick color. I went back and forth with it, and Dewey was so patient with me because I kept changing the lipstick color - like six times. He had to keep cleaning the screen. I wanted to encapsulate how I remembered Mandi because over the course of these past couple of years, [I felt like] I didn't really know her anymore.

I was getting questions about the bats but that was her thing, as she knew the symbolism of it. They could also be a symbol of migration. We always use monarchs, but she’s darks, so, of course, I used bats.

She was really glamorous. Apart from being an activist and an active community member, she was also a fashion icon. I wanted to capture her glamour as well.

JENY AMAYA

Can you tell me a little bit about what Day of the Dead means to you? 

GABBY CLARO

We've always celebrated Day of the Dead at home, but we never made an altar while growing up. Traditionally, my mom would always light a candle and say the name of the relative that we knew had passed. She would place all the candles on a cross and we would sit outside and wait for them to finish burning out. We would spend time, and have coffee.

It's usually done at night when everybody is home but I had never celebrated it to the capacity that I do now. It's always been really important to me. I only have one living grandparent now. We’ve always set aside that day to intentionally honor them. Now we make an altar, and my tias come over for dinner. 

JENY AMAYA

How do you feel this artwork engages with the tradition of the Day of the Dead? 

GABBY CLARO

I tried to highlight several things through the print. I added “Ni Una Mas” (Not One More) to the frame and “Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women” to honor women taken at the hands of violence.

I tried my best to honor her and keep her memory alive. If somebody comes across it, somebody that doesn't know her, hopefully they take the time to remember her. 

Throughout the frame, I hid little symbols and Easter eggs that connect with me, such as my grandpa's home address in Mexico. I took the time to think of symbolism throughout the print. It's kind of like an offering, in the same way that an altar would be to me. I tried to be really intentional with what was going into it.

JENY AMAYA

When viewers encounter your work, especially this print, what do you hope they take away from it? 

GABBY CLARO

I want her to be remembered. Sometimes I kind of wrap my head around it because I'm like, “Damn, she was just like a normal girl”, you know? Sometimes we think of these things like they're just not going to happen, but they are. Violence against women is still very present and it's still happening way too often. I’m trying to bring awareness; even if people don't know about these movements, it could just be a way to learn about them.

With Mandi’s life being taken, we lost another community member that was really active and passionate about social justice. When Madison first stepped into her role here at Self Help, we both knew Amanda and Madison were later really affected by this. It's just a mental toll on the community to reflect on the way that she was taken.

JENY AMAYA

Has creating this print changed or deepened your relationship to Dia de los Muertos? 

GABBY CLARO

I've always loved Day of the Dead, but this experience forced me to be really intentional and strategic about what I wanted to add to the print. During the process of this print, I reached out to her family to get their approval and approach it with their blessing. It was an added pressure to represent her the right way, in a way that she would have wanted to to be represented. [Her and I] have really similar aesthetics, so I hope that I was able to actually convey that.

JENY AMAYA

Can you tell me how art, specifically printmaking, can uniquely contribute to the way we honor memory loss and life? 

GABBY CLARO

It kind of is like an offering.  A lot of my work is centered around my ancestors, past loved ones. It's a way for me to honor them through what I'm creating. I’m really grateful, as I know it's a really big deal. I'm really grateful to Marvella and am really happy that she trusted me with this. It's a really big honor. A really big pressure, but I hope it was decent. 

The founding of Self Help Graphics (1973) coincides closely with the time of two well-known moments in the Chicano Power Movement: the Chicano Student Walkouts (1968) and the Chicano Moratorium (1970).

In opposition to systemic inequalities, Self Help Graphics provided the space and resources for local Chicanx/Latinx artists to advance the political aims of the Chicano Power Movement. Accordingly, many artists at the heart of Self Help’s foundation used their art to visually express the struggles and aspirations of the community. In effect, the prints coming out of Self Help during the 70s became the backdrop to the Movement.

Today, at both a national and global level, we’re experiencing a reality that is strikingly similar to the social context of the Civil Rights Era. Just like during the 60s and 70s, our basic rights— especially those of the working-class, BIPOC, Queer, and immigrant communities—continue to be encroached upon by a small class of people in power.

As such, there remains an enduring need to equip local youth artists with the skills and experiences needed to challenge systemic inequality and creatively imagine just alternatives. Rooted in a history of resistance, Self Help Graphics is particularly suited for the mission of incubating the next generation of artivistas (artistic activistas) who will use their creativity to shift our culture and create change.

Our Youth Artivism Internship fills this need by providing a paid opportunity for artists ages 18-24 who have an interest in the intersection of organizing, advocacy, and the arts. Our internship program values the participation of individuals who’ve experienced the impact of gentrification and displacement and have ties to the Eastside of Los Angeles. It provides participants with the experience of using art as a tool for social action and addresses housing justice issues set by the Eastside LEADS coalition. The interns work closely with me, Jesús Estrada-Martinez, the Arts Advocacy Manager at SHG and Tania Ramon, Eastside LEADS’ Communication Coordinator, to inform and help develop art projects, activations, and/or exhibitions responding to the issues of displacement and gentrification.

This year's cohort welcomes four new artivistas: Nat Ayala (all pronouns welcome), Abril Olalde (she/her), Karen Perez (she/her), Maddy Rubio (she/her), artists with a breadth of experience including previous participation in our Youth Committee program. They are community organizers, musicians, filmmakers, visual artists, rock climbers, and ceramicists. They began their program in June 2025, and are currently conceptualizing an art project benefiting community members impacted by the ICE raids in Los Angeles. Please join us in welcoming them and learn more about them below!

ABOUT THE 2025 YOUTH ARTIVISM INTERNS

Natali Ayala (all pronouns welcome) is a Mexican American artist and UC Berkeley alum, born and raised in South Central Los Angeles as a child of immigrant parents. She is a versatile creator working primarily with acrylics, and color pencils—mediums that allow her to play with the bright, fluorescent pops she loves. Their work blends whimsical, playful elements with styles between cartoon and realism, often serving as a therapeutic form of self-expression and decompression deeply connected to her mood. She creates visual disruptors with bold accents, glitter, and kid-like details. Skilled in 3D modeling and digital art, Natali continually explores new ways to bring joy, nostalgia, and imagination into the world. A strong advocate for mental health, she believes self-discovery and investing in personal growth is a radical and necessary act of care. Everyone has a path, and she is hopeful to find hers. Fun fact: she rock climbs.

Abril Olalde (she/her/ella) is a first-generation Chicana from South Central Los Angeles. She graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Urban and Regional Studies. Abril is passionate about hood culture and the stories/lives that make L.A. In her free time, she loves to play video games, read comics, and support local small businesses. Through graphic design, drawing, lettering, and collage-making, Abril creates art to reflect herself and her community. Her work, both in art and activism, resists displacement and erasure, aiming to celebrate the culture, resilience, and versatility of her community.

Karen Perez (she/her) is a proud Mexican-American currently residing in Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles. She is a passionate filmmaker who enjoys practicing graphic design, photography, zine-making, and more. Karen has worked alongside many Eastside organizations including Las Fotos Project, Legacy LA, and InnerCity Struggle. Her artwork focuses on youth, childhood nostalgia, personal identity and her love for their community. She loves shopping, watching movies, drinking matcha, and being out in nature. Music is also a huge influence in Karen’s life. She is deeply inspired by Amy Winehouse and Maria Zardoya.

Madelyn Rubio (she/her) prefers to go by Maddy. She is a Mexican-American, LA-based artist/musician. In her younger years, she would frolic City Terrace and make mud sculptures and animals, while her sister and her sang their favorite songs. Mud animals grew into her love for ceramics, and her love for music grew into her passion for songwriting and playing the bass and cello. Maddy is always hiking and exploring different hot springs and waterfalls. She enjoys taking photos of her adventures on her Canon AE-1 or Nintendo DS. She loves to incorporate her spirituality and activism into her art. Maddy believes she was given these talents to heal herself, her family, and those around her. Maddy is so excited to create powerful art with purpose along with an amazing group in the Artivista program.

ABOUT EASTSIDE LEADS

Eastside LEADS (Leadership for Equitable and Accountable Development Strategies) is a coalition of community members and eight community-based partner organizations working together to ensure urban development and investment is guided by the needs and priorities of the community first, without displacement.

ABOUT SHG YOUTH ARTIVISM INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

To learn more about SHG's Youth Artivism Internship, click here.

Follow @shgyouth on Instagram to accompany our artivistas along with their internship experience.

Thank you to all the teaching artists, assistants, interns, Legacy LA, Art Services Manager Cynthia Navarro, and our Youth Programs Manager Nini Sanchez, for such an awesome program this year! Below are some of the highlights of each class, as well as the culminating exhibition.

Brenda Perez, our ICA LA’s Agency of Assets intern, wrote a reflection about her S.O.Y. Artista experience. Read here.

Week 1 (June 24-27)

S.O.Y. Artista started strong with a Screen Printing class, taught by Teaching Artist Jackie Hernandez and Assistant James Mendez with Group A.

Group B participated in an Experimenting with Natural Dyes class, taught by Teaching Artist Cayetano Talavera and Assistant Izzy Jaquez.

Week 2 (July 1-2)

Teaching Artists Martha Carrillo and Viktor Rosas taught our Group A some skills related to Printing on Fabrics and Wearable Art.

Week 3 (July 8-11)

Teaching Artists Natalie Godinez and Assistant Sabrina Koenig taught a Sewing Stuffy Creatures class to our Group A, allowing the students to materialize fantastic creatures from their imagination.

For Group B, Artists Pavel Acevedo and Viktor Rosas explored Relief Printing, which culminated in a communal print honoring P-22, the iconic mountain lion who lived in Griffith Park. This was a collaborative process from beginning to end, where the youth chose what stories they wanted to amplify based on their personal and collective experiences.

Week 4 (July 15-18)

Teaching Artist Connie Mendoza and Assistant Izzy Jaquez taught Group A some Ceramics skills. As inspiration, the students looked at Mesoamerican figurines. Using hand-building techniques and clay, students shaped all kinds of organic and funky creatures.

Group B learned essential Screen Printing skills with teaching artists Dewey Tafoya, SHG’s Lead Printer, and Assistant Gabby Claro. Using their own illustrations and photosensitive emulsion, students created a design on a mesh screen. They then learned how to print using ink and a squeegee, printing their designs on paper and fabric!

Week 5 (July 22-25)

For the last week of S.O.Y. Artista,  Teaching Artists Yaneli Delgado and Assistant Brenda Llamas taught Group A Relief Soft Block Printing, where students learned how to carve their designs on linoleum, eventually printing these on paper with colorful gradients of ink. Group B learned Illustration and Bookmaking with Teaching Artist Joe Galarza and Assistant Gabby Claro, who facilitated a creative space where students came up with the coolest pop-ups and illustrations for their handmade books.

CULMINATING EXHIBITION

On Friday, July 25, 2025, we celebrated the culmination of the summer program. Students exhibited the work they produced to their friends and families, showcasing all the new skills they developed this summer!

Learn more about Self Help Graphics & Art’s Youth Programs here: https://www.selfhelpgraphics.com/youth-programs

Throughout my employment period with Self Help Graphics and Art, I was able to learn different art mediums and understand the importance of bringing a variety of art techniques to youth and the importance of having access to art to express yourself and social issues. I was also able to obtain work experience with the organization which was such an amazing opportunity.

In my first week on the job, I was introduced to the Self Help Graphics and Art team, and they were all very welcoming and supportive. We then headed to the site where they hosted their S.O.Y Artista summer camp.

S.O.Y Artista is a program that provides our youth with accessible art materials and one-on-one instruction. This program is something that one should check out if you're a youth interested in learning different art mediums, I highly encourage participating if you fit the qualifications. At S.O.Y Artista I would help prepare for the week by setting up materials as well as helping the teaching artist throughout the week. I would help the morning class which is the youth 11 through 14. The Self Help Graphics team let me participate in the program as well and I had so much fun. 

When I began my employment period S.O.Y Artista had already started. I started the internship in the third week of the program, in which we learned sewing and crafted plushies with the teaching artists Natalie Godinez and assistant Sabrina Koenig. In the fourth week, we sculpted ceramic statues with teaching artists Connie Mendoza and Izzy Jaquez. In the fifth week, we experimented with creating  linoleum prints  with Yaneli Delgado and Brenda Llamas. Learning many new  art styles was inspiring. I was also inspired to see that the youth were able to have fun while  expressing social concerns through their artworks.

Something that always stood out to me was how each teaching artist was so passionate about what they would teach. That’s something I love about art is that when you take passion with what you do then your artwork comes out amazing. 

I'm extremely grateful to Self-help Graphics and Art for this amazing opportunity. Everyone on the team was very nice and I'm thankful for all the connections I've made through the organization. I had an amazing experience being able to work for Self Help Graphics and Art. It is so impressive and inspiring to see how they strive to give back to their community through the programming and events they offer.

Self Help Graphics & Art is proud to present our 51st Annual Dia de los Muertos season - in partnership with the Office of Supervisor Hilda L. Solis and the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation - with free Día de los Muertos Community Art Workshops every Saturday in October, beginning October 5-October 26 from 12:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m., at the East Los Angeles County Library (4837 E 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90022); and its 51st Annual Día de los Muertos Celebration on Saturday, November 2, 2024 from 3:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. at LA County Civic Center Park (801 E 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90022). Learn more at www.selfhelpgraphics.com/diadelosmuertos

"Our 51st Annual Día de los Muertos season at Self Help Graphics marks a continuation of a long-standing tradition of honoring those who came before us while celebrating life’s cadence through art. We are excited to conclude the 2024 series with a memorable event at Civic Center Park in East LA, made possible through the partnership with LA County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis and the Department of Parks and Recreation," said Executive Director Jennifer Cuevas.

Día de los Muertos Commemorative Print by Artist Amalia Mesa-Bains
The Día de los Muertos Commemorative Print is a decades-long tradition in which the organization invites a local artist to create a serigraph to honor the season. This year Self Help Graphics had the distinct honor of working with Chicana Curator, Author and Visual Artist, Amalia Mesa-Bains, on the production of our 51st Annual Día de los Muertos Commemorative Print, Antepasados y Memoria, 2024, available for purchase on their website. Produced with Master Printer, Dewey Tafoya, Antepasados y Memoria, 2024 is a serigraph, edition of 55, 30 x 44 in. 

Community Art Workshops at East LA County Library (October 5, 12, 19, 26)
On Saturdays in October 2024, beginning October 5-26 from 12:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m., Self Help Graphics will offer free Día de los Muertos Community Art Workshops where participants will learn about and create traditional crafts to honor the dead. All art workshops will take place at the East Los Angeles County Library, located at 4837 E 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90022. Activities include Papel Picado, Paper Marigolds, Painting with Natural Dyes, and Pre-made Calaca Magnet. . All Día de los Muertos Community Art Workshops are FREE, bilingual, and all ages! Registration is highly encouraged. Register on Eventbrite at selfhelpgraphics.eventbrite.com!

Día de los Muertos Celebration Procession at Mariachi Plaza (November 2)

The public is encouraged to dress up in their favorite Día de los Muertos fashion and take part in our festive Día de los Muertos Celebration Procession from Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights, to Civic Center Park in East Los Angeles. The public is encouraged to meet at Mariachi Plaza at 2:00 p.m., then ride on the Metro L Line heading east to East LA Civic Center Park as a group, beginning at 2:30 p.m.  (This will require participants to purchase their individual train ticket to participate.)

Día de los Muertos Celebration at Civic Center Park (November 2)

Our 51st Annual Día de los Muertos Celebration returns Saturday, November 2 from 3:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Civic Center Park in East Los Angeles. The park is located at 4801 E 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90022. The public is encouraged to dress up in their favorite Día de los Muertos fashion and partake in the day’s offerings, including participate in the mobile procession, view altars by local artists and community members, shop at our artisan Muertos Marketplace, join Día de los Muertos themed workshops and face painting; as well as enjoy food by local vendors and live entertainment from lake main stage. More details will be announced soon!

About Self Help Graphics & Art 
Since its incorporation in 1973, Self Help Graphics & Art has produced more than 2,000  serigraph editions 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 our http://www.selfhelpgraphics.com. Follow  SHG on Facebook @selfhelpgraphics and Instagram and Twitter @SHG1970.  

Sinks is part of Getty's PST Art: Art & Science Collide initiative and highlights the long-term ramifications of pollution on communities of color caused by two manufacturing sites located near SHG: the former Exide Battery plant in Vernon and the former Athens Tank Farm in Willowbrook. Sinks combines data-driven research and art to reveal the harm caused to these neighborhoods serving as sinks or reservoirs of pollution.  While the exhibition sheds light on the issues of land contamination, it also offers resources and information to empower individuals.

“The case-studies featured by the exhibit, Vernon and Willowbrook, show how Black and Brown communities are linked by environmental injustice and exploitation that, unfortunately, many communities of color across the nation continue to face,” said Marvella Muro, Director of Artistic Programs and Sink Curator, Self Help Graphics. “While the exhibit shows this hard reality, it also uplifts community-driven solutions and provides resources that empowers audiences with the tools they can use to stay vigilant, active, and engaged to fight against environmental injustice.”

“Sinks: Places We Call Home is a perfect example of artivism, art that inspires action. Through compelling works that lift the voices of those directly impacted by environmental racism, and by sharing tangible solutions, our goal is for audiences to recognize that they can play a role to help prevent future harm and neglect,” said Jennifer M. Cuevas, Executive Director, Self Help Graphics. 

Producing new art for the exhibit, artist Maru Garcia partnered with the Natural History Museum’s Mineral  and Community Science Department to pursue soil testing and lead reduction studies with community scientists in the Vernon area through a project called Prospering backyard (Pb). Garcia examined the catastrophic lead contamination by the Exide Battery Plant in Southeast Los Angeles and surrounding neighborhoods, one of the costliest environmental cleanups in history. 

“This exhibit at the intersection of art and science calls on audiences to learn about how vulnerable communities continue to live with the ramification of contamination, and how we can each do our part to hold bad actors accountable and bring about solutions,” said Garcia.

Focusing on the Willowbrook community, Beatriz Jaramillo’s art practice uplifts forgotten voices, stories, and data about the land contamination of Magic Johnson Park, the largest urban park in South Los Angeles. 

Jaramillo’s work investigates how various government agencies and urban planning policies rooted in white supremacy neglected to protect the community, causing widespread adverse health conditions and the deaths of dozens of residents of Ujima Village, the housing projects built on top of the contaminated land. Through community building with the local Willowbrook Community Garden, Jaramillo and SHG have worked to reframe how communities can mitigate environmental hazards by collaborating on a multi-year workshop series focusing on the intersection between nature, art and healing.

“Our aim is to shift our relationship with the land and empower us to connect with the soil through knowledge, stewardship and advocacy,” said Jaramillo. 

The exhibition also features work by Kim Abeles, Miyo Stevens-Gandara, Poli Marichal, Tara Pixley, Albert Tlatoa, Christian Salcedo Ward, Joan Zamora, and poetry by Tina Calderon. 

For a list of related programs please visit, https://www.selfhelpgraphics.com/sinks.

Even though I do not plan on majoring in art, I have always considered myself a creative person, whether that be in visual arts, music, writing, or any other art form that I may be interested in doing in the future, I consider art to be a big part of my life and am considering having a minor in art. 

Being an intern at Self Help Graphics allowed me to try out new things as I participated in the SOY Artista summer youth art program during the first three weeks of my four-week internship. In those weeks, I experimented with art mediums I had only heard about but had never tried.  Aside from participating in the art classes, I would assist in things that the teaching artists may have needed, like helping students, setting out snacks, cleaning up after the morning class, and setting up, if needed, for the afternoon class.

During my first week at SOY Artista, I tried screenprinting with artist Las Chicas Peligrosas, creating a design using a couple of stencils I made on my own. I had only been able to screen print once before because of a guest our high school had, but the design was already predetermined, so it was interesting to create my design.

My second week consisted of block printing and paper lithography with Teaching Artist Yaneli Delgado. We focused on block printing for the first two days, sketching our design on some transfer paper before finalizing it on the lino block and carving out the design. I ended up cutting out a small rose and, on a larger lino block, I carved out a snail carrying another snail on their back. 

The following two days consisted of learning paper lithography. We practiced with a smaller, simpler image before choosing our own picture and making it into a black-and-white image before transferring it onto other cards. 

On the last week of SOY Artista, we focused on cyanotypes, stencils, and spray painting with artist Joan Zeta. On the first day, we found an image and projected it so that we could outline it and start cutting it out to make a stencil. The next day, we arranged plants we picked from the park across the street on cyanotype paper in a way we liked to expose it to the sun to create our designs. We then sprayed paint on top of it with our stencils. In the last two days, we experimented with the spray paint, which I really enjoyed, and I had enough time to make a second stencil. 

On Mondays when SOY Artista was not in session, in the afternoons, and on the last week of my employment, I would support in the SHG office. I would help prepare for other upcoming weeks with the program and prepare for their future events and workshops. One thing that I enjoyed was making buttons at the office. 

I enjoyed all the things I tried at Self Help Graphics and want to try them out further in my own time and expand on how I view and create my own art.

You can learn about this year’s Agency of Assets Program by watching this video.

Bianca Huerta (they/he) was an Agency of Assets intern through ICA-LA during the Summer of 2024.

Save the date and RSVP today for The Re-Membering Generation: 1990's LA Chicana/o/x Music Exhibition and Music Festival on Sunday, June 2 from 12:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. at Plaza de la Raza! Plaza de la Raza is located at 3540 N Mission Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90031. The festival will feature performances by Alice Bag, Gustavo Avina, Lysa Flores, Quetzal Flores (Quetzal), Randy Rodarte (Ollin), Raul Pacheco (Ozomatli), Tylana Renga (Quetzal) and Aztlan Underground . Get FREE TIX here and listen to the music from the exhibition on Soundcloud at https://bit.ly/Re-MemberingGenerationMusic!

Curated by Grammy award-winning musician/community historian, Quetzal Flores, The Re-Membering Generation exhibition pairs eight duets (a visual artist with a musician) to produce original songs and serigraph prints inspired by their conversations, reflections, and memories of the LA music scene of the late 90s. Learn more at www.selfhelpgraphics.com/exhibitions.

The exhibition at Plaza de la Raza’s Boathouse Gallery features ephemera serving as a window to this period alongside serigraph prints and music created by Rachel Negrete Thorson and Alice Bag, Marisol Torres and Gustavo Avina, Yolanda Gonzalez and Lysa Flores, Margaret “Quica” Alarcon and Quetzal Flores, Usen Gandara and Randy Rodarte, Wenceslao Quiroz and Raul Pacheco, Omar G. Ramirez and Tylana Renga Enomoto, Jose Ramirez and Yaotl. The gallery is open Monday – Friday from 9AM– 8PM and Saturdays 10AM – 2PM. For print acquisition inquiries, please email info@selfhelpgraphics.com. For prit sale inquiries, please contact us at info@selfhelpgraphics.com.

Tag us in your photos on Facebook @selfhelpgraphics or Instagram @SHG190! #ReMemberingGeneration #Chicano #Music #Chicanx #Latine #Latinx

Self Help Graphics & Art is proud to announce that it will be featured in the upcoming debut episode of PBS SoCal’s show, ART HAPPENS HERE WITH JOHN LITHGOW, airing during PBS SoCal prime time on Friday, April 26 at 10:00 p.m. EST/PST or 9:00 p.m. CST (check your local listings for more info)!

“We are thrilled to be featured as part of the debut episode of Art Happens Here on PBS SoCal, which explores the importance of arts education,” says Executive Director, Jennifer Cuevas. “At Self Help Graphics, accessibility to arts education aligns deeply with our values, to support the development of young artists and advancement of an artist’s artistic practice, at any stage in their career. Art has the ability to transform lives and in this episode, you can see the great benefits of bringing arts education to young people.”

Artivism in the Print Studio

In this segment, John Lithgow visits Self Help Graphics’ print studio in Boyle Heights to learn the art and craft of printmaking, from Master Printer, Dewey Tafoya and youth artist, Yolitzli Torres. They meet at Mariachi Plaza where John and Yolitzli inspired to collaborate on a print. “I had an incredible time filming the episode and working with John Lithgow… Creating art at Self Help Graphics was an integral part of my artistic evolution from my adolescence to the present. It is a space where I feel comfortable, safe, and supported. It is somewhere I go to find inspiration and motivation from the art pieces to the artists themselves. It is one of the very few institutions with a strong cultural and social justice lens that I am honored to be connected to,” says Yolitzli Torres.

Transformation Through Art

ART HAPPENS HERE WITH JOHN LITHGOW follows the award-winning actor as he shares his passion or arts education by joining students and teachers at four Los Angeles organizations, diving into four arts disciplines: dance, ceramics, silk-screen printing and vocal jazz ensemble. Celebrating how arts education nurtures and inspires the hearts and minds of students of all ages, the one-hour PBS special follows Lithgow as he tries his hand at singing, dancing, printmaking, and pottery, working alongside and learning from young people whose lives are being transformed by art.

ART HAPPENS HERE WITH JOHN LITHGOW will be available to stream on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS App, available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO. Learn more here.

Meet SHG 2024 Beyond The Press Artist, Roshanda Bartney (Zoe Blaq)

Self Help Graphics & Art is excited to welcome Rashonda Bartney, who goes by the artist name Zoe Blaq, as its 2024 Beyond the Press artist in residence. Zoe is an interdisciplinary artist, mental health advocate, published poet, and urban gardener from Los Angeles. She uses mixed media, installations, eco-art, storytelling, performance, video, photography, and zines for art activism and to empower marginalized communities. 

As the founder of Urban Soul Farmer, she engages and educates the broader community on topics of food justice, indigenous agriculture, and healing arts. She develops urban garden and art programs for ex-offenders, disabled adults, and LA county schools. 

Inspired by George Washington Carver, she is nurturing the soil, connecting with locals, and creating sustainable food hubs in South L.A.  Zoe is also experimenting with microclimates and a seed ball project in the majestic Mojave desert. She holds an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University Los Angeles and a B.A. in Cinema and Television Arts from Cal State University Northridge.

Beyond the Press allows artists to delve deeper into their multidisciplinary art practice while engaging with the broader SHG communities.  Zoe will engage with SHG's Youth Committee, participate in SOY Artista this summer, and participate in SHG’s Sinks: Places We Call Home exhibition for the Getty Foundation’s Pacific Standard Time ArtXScience 2024 initiative.

Artist Residency

Beyond The Press is a Self Help Graphics & Arts artist in residence program that invites an interdisciplinary artist to create a new body of work over the course of 6 months to a year. The artist is encouraged to push and evolve their art practice while engaging with the internal and external communities of SHG. The work created during the residency will culminate with an exhibition with an accompanying catalog. 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. Learn more here.

The residency offers artists the following benefits: 

• A studio space in a collaborative and nurturing environment focused on promoting equity and access among artists of color.

• An opportunity to collaborate on projects with the broader Boyle Heights community through workshops or discussions that may inform the artist’s practice. 

• Production of a serigraph edition in our Professional Printmaking studio. 

• Opportunity to develop their teaching practice through workshops.

• A culminating exhibition with an accompanying catalog. 

Since its inception, Self Help Graphics & Art has fostered an artist in residence program that has nurtured legacy-building artists such as Linda Vallejo, Leo Limón, Michael Amescua, Yreina Cervantez, Jaime “Vyal” Reyes, and more. Since moving to our current building in Boyle Heights, SHG has provided residencies and small business incubation spaces for artists such as Sticky Rick’s, Dewey Tafoya, and Wayne Perry. Our Beyond The Press program artists include Pavel Acevedo (2020-2021) and Kalli Arte Collective (2022). The Beyond the Press artist in residence program is partly supported by the California Art Council and The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts.

Special Thanks

Our 2024 Beyond the Press residency is made possible with support from the Mike Kelley Foundation For The Arts. Learn more here.

LOS ANGELES, CA. April 11, 2024 — The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts (MKFA) announced today the recipients of its fourth year of Organizational Support Grants, an unrestricted grant program the Foundation established during the pandemic to address the immediate needs of Los Angeles County arts organizations. While the grants continue to support organizations’ operating costs, 2024 grantees also provided an upcoming project for consideration, and a required minimum of the awarded amount must go to artists involved. The Organizational Support Grants, like the Foundation, support arts organizations that reflect Mike Kelley’s passion for critical thinking and provocation in the arts. This year’s grantees are the Armory Center for the Arts, Automata Arts, CalArts REDCAT, Clockshop, Coaxial Arts Foundation, Echo Park Film Center, Fulcrum Arts, Future Roots/Lookout FM, Human Resources, JOAN, LAXART, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE), Los Angeles Poverty Department, Museum of Jurassic Technology, and Self-Help Graphics & Art. Read news here.

The Re-Membering Generation: 1990's LA Chicana/o/x Music exhibiiton is a multidisciplinary exploration that documents SHG's vibrant music scene and history in the 1990s. Join us for the opening reception on Saturday, April 6 from 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. at the Boathouse Gallery at Plaza de la Raza, located 3540 N. Mission Rd. LA, CA. 90031 (Lincoln Heights). The exhibit will be on view Saturday, April 6- Saturday, June 8, 2024. The gallery is open weekly Monday-Thursday from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. and Saturdays, from 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Curated by Quetzal Flores, a Grammy award-winning musician/community historian, The Re-Membering Generation pairs eight duets (a visual artist with a musician) to produce original songs and serigraph prints inspired by their conversations, reflections, and memories of the LA music scene of the late 90s.

"For generations of musicians, Self Help Graphics has served as a rite of passage. A collective space of retreat, experimentation, re-membering regeneration. - Curator, Quetzal Flores

The exhibition will feature ephemera serving as a window to this period alongside serigraph prints and music created by Rachel Negrete Thorson and Alice Bag, Marisol Torres and Gustavo Avina, Yolanda Gonzalez and Lysa Flores, Margaret “Quica” Alarcon and Quetzal Flores, Usen Gandara and Randy Rodarte, Wenceslao Quiroz and Raul Pacheco, Omar G. Ramirez and Tylana Renga, and Jose Ramirez and Yaotl. 

This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of the Pasadena Art Alliance.

#ReMemberingGeneration #ChicanoMusic

"Battle of the Saints is an homage to Self Help Graphics' 50th anniversary by highlighting themes seen across our print archive while setting the organization in its current contemporary context by pairing serigraphs from our Professional Printmaking Studio alongside local artists," said Natalie Godinez, Community Engagement & Youth Programs Manager and co-curator of the exhibition. 

Battle of the Saints highlights everyday icons worshiped across cultures. Their images and likeness have become so ubiquitous that they appear in our daily lives, from billboards to candles, key chains, murals, t-shirts, toys, and more throughout our world. Revered figures like wrestlers, saints, gods, artists, political activists, and athletes are a few of the cultural icons whose likeness instills a profound sense of community pride and empowerment.

The artists in the exhibition have all used iconography as a powerful storytelling tool. Some subvert the image of cultural and religious icons. In contrast, others elevate an everyday hero into a holy figure by appropriating symbols from religious depictions of saints, including La Virgen de Guadalupe. The image of La Virgen acts as a bridge to create a dialogue between tradition and current culture. She is portrayed as a powerful boxing champion by artist Alma Lopez or a cultural icon worthy of memorializing on the skin, as seen in Delilah Montoya’s serigraph. A print by Isabel Martinez showcases her as the divine mother, linked to the powerful creation deity Coatlicue. Jacqueline Valenzuela uses votive candles featuring La Virgen in an installation inspired by her memories of visiting Mexico. 

Additionally, some artists bring attention to influential figures through unique and innovative perspectives. Josiah O’Balles elevates the luchador (wrestler) in his painting, Chicano Power as a Saint, taking a stand against oppression. On the other hand, Nao Bustamante uses performance and gaudy aesthetics to memorialize Walter Mercado, a television astrologer integral to many homes across Latin America and its diaspora. 

In a symbolic "Battle of the Saints," we playfully bestow a sense of "sainthood" upon pop culture icons while revisiting traditional religious symbols and figures in a contemporary context. The exhibition acknowledges these characters' elevated status within immigrant communities as symbols of hope, empowerment, and cultural connections to the motherland. 

This group show will highlight prints from the Self Help Graphics Professional Print Studio, including artists Alma Lopez, Delilah Montoya, Frank Ybarra, Isabel Martinez, Jose Roberto Barrero, Yreina Cervantez, Victor Gastelum and Chaz Bojorquez, alongside local artists in Los Angeles and Long Beach; including  Adriana Carranza, Aneesa Shami Zizzo, April Bey, Carolyn Castano, Dewey Tafoya, Ernesto Vazquez, Jacqueline Valenzuela, Jose M. Loza, Josiah O'Balles, Mike Alcala, Nao Bustamante, Rey Vargas, and Sayon Syprasoeuth. 

About Self Help Graphics & Art

Since its incorporation in 1973, SHG has produced more than 2,000 art print editions, including 65 atelier projects and exhibitions worldwide. 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 the 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 within its organization and the community. For more information, visit www.selfhelpgraphics.com. 

To inquire about objects on view or press information, please contact Self Help Graphics at 323-881-6444 or write to info@selfhelpgraphics.com with “Media Request” in the subject line. 

Trenely “Clover” Garcia is an artist born and raised in LA whose work is deeply rooted in community building and teaching. Clover has worked as a teaching artist at Self Help Graphics, Art Division, and most recently Justice for my Sister.

Los Caminos de la Vida is a serigraph print created in 2018 exploring the possibility of South Central, Los Angeles with an abundance of green space. The print depicts a busy cross street in LA with the everyday bustling cityscape; including cars, the LA Metro line, and the liquor stores that can be found all over the city. All of these common sights with an addition of greenery and places to sit. The background of the print shows a rainy, industrial Downtown Los Angeles. The foreground has two Olmec faces growing out of the ground beneath surrounded by nopales, representing people’s inherent connection with nature and the struggle of displacement. I had the pleasure of speaking with Clover about her print.

Q: Can you introduce yourself a bit before we start?

A: My artist name is Clover. I was born and raised in South Central. I started making art- I wanna say like everyone, doodling in elementary school and doing posters for protests and stencils for patches in high school. Very DIY. We didn't even know there was a silk screening process. But right after high school, I got into the silkscreening class at LA Trade Tech. I also went to Art Division and Self Help. I started my teaching jobs in those two spaces. 

Q: Is that silk screen your main medium?

A: Yes and no. It depends on the flow. Sometimes I find myself not painting that much and doing silk screens depending on what my work is. It's a balance– silkscreening and painting. But, I feel like I do more workshops than I do silkscreening. It's mainly just painting.

I have a couple pieces that I’m currently working on. I’m also part of Ni Santas, an art collective that prioritizes brown women. 

Q: What did Ni Santas come from?

A: We started in 2016. It was Andi [Xoch] and a friend who had the initial idea for the meetup. They already knew each other. I knew them for their luna rides that I would go to. I immediately fell in love with what they were doing and just being with them. It was the first time I saw that sisterhood outside of my friends. Growing up with the friends that I bonded with, we would just drink and smoke and go to shows— bonding in that way. But with these girls I felt we could just hang out and be creative with each other. What I loved was that they never forced you to be creative. If you even just needed a place to be, you can just come hang out. 

We would put out flyers to invite people. At one point, there was a core collective of 13 girls coming from all over the city. We never felt like we had to be tied to the east side. That's how we started off. We continued to have the monthly free workshops, inviting other artists to come in and lead the workshops too. We had a grant that allowed us to pay people coming in. Joan [Zeta] made sure we were able to sustain ourselves with that grant.  

Q: Is that the space that helped you grow the most as an artist?

A: I would say yeah. Self Help too. Going there with Ni Santas, we would spend a lot of time there because we would meet twice a week. I'd heard about SHG when I was in high school but crossing the bridge was hard for me at the time. Eventually I slowly started working with Self Help too. 

Q: Can you talk a bit about how your artwork Los Caminos de la Vida came about?

A: That intersection that I chose- I grew up on 33rd by Morgan and Long Beach. I would take the Metro train to go to school everyday. I would walk that all the time. I remember walking by the South Central Farm with my grandma when I was six or seven, and now looking at it today, it's not there. This building is all brick and looks like a prison. I saw the transformation of fighting for this giant green space we had in this urban area.

 I like nature, I would much rather be in the forest but I think it was like that Utopia. If I could change it, I would have it this way. 

Q: Can you talk about the images in the piece?

A: I feel like it shows overall how I feel about the past and present. My introduction to art was graffiti. I would see it all the time. I wanna say I'm into trains because I grew up next to the train track. The majority of the things I do include some type of Metro transportation. 

My dads family is from Oaxaca so I love the Olmec heads. They’re a representation of Indigenous people or people that look like that. Everyone I would see on screen growing up was light skinned- small features and I noticed that when I was really young. That’s still something that happens today. Artists who are aware of things like this still do it because it sells. So I like to make an effort to paint real humans in my work. It's not healthy for us growing up and seeing that and expecting that to be beauty and not us. I wanted them looking kinda tristona but kinda not. Like I’m not gonna fake a smile but I’m also not gonna feel pity. 

I always like to draw flowers and mushroom caps just because I do feel like that's medicine we should all tap into and look within ourselves and look into medicines.

Q: What is the importance of depicting this vision of what South Central could be?

A: I feel like voicing my opinions– not everyone wants high rise buildings or glamorous things. There’s a lot of us that want nature. Or even just somewhere to sit when you’re walking home without there just being broken bottles all over the ground. We still want green spaces. We don’t need to be in Pasadena to have nice parks.

Q: How has growing up with a lack of green space affected you personally?

A: Just realizing the class differences and what the city chooses to spend money on and why some areas are prioritized over others. I feel like I have built resentment towards the way things are spent. As I was growing up I started noticing that I had to get out of some areas to have nice things. 

If I have a project and I have to include a background, I usually include mountains or green (spaces). I don't want to just focus on city life. I want to inspire  that greenery or stepping outside of the city and really listen to yourself. I feel like I struggle with even leaving this area because I love nature but I also love being from this area and the attachment to the memories I have here. We wanna hold on to our neighborhoods.

It's not simple because developers move pretty fast. The house I grew up in, we had to move out because the owner sold it to a big corporation. Everytime we would bid on a house in South Central, there was this big developer who would always win the bids and create all these apartments that look the same. She had to move to Huntington Park but she never wanted to move past Slauson. She would say anything past Slauson is too far because that's where her life was. Even me, when I moved, I would still go to South Central to go buy groceries because that's what was familiar to me.

Q: Has working with youth influenced these topics in your work?

A: Yeah, I realized that years ago. They look up to you as an adult when you work with them. I want to influence them in a good way. I tell them “Hey don't you wanna go visit some trees?”. I want them to find peace and not try to be all fast moving in the city. Also, I’ve seen more little kids draw like plants and I want them to pay more attention to where that's coming from.

Growing up, my friends and I always had a problem [with drinking]. I really think that that’s another form of oppression. For the longest time, that's how they have oppressed alot of our people. So, I decided to be a better role model for the kids that I work with. I feel like that makes a big difference, being the role model. That's not what I wanna put out there. Working with kids has even changed the way  I talk. I try to be more intentional in how I say things. Little kids have me rethinking my whole life sometimes. 

Part of my? mission is really influencing healing in whatever way. That's the major one because [drinking] has broken up so many families. 

Q: Do you have any upcoming work that you would like to share?

A: I'm currently teaching  with Justice for my Sister. I’ve been working there for two years as their teaching and mural artist. We’re also doing mural projects in Compton and we’ll be starting one in Pasadena in September. I also do silkscreen for friends and businesses.

Jacqueline Aguirre is the Documentation and Archives Getty Intern at Self Help Graphics & Art. She is a lifelong art enthusiast and an undergraduate student at UCLA studying Linguistics.

Our free seasonal workshops feature exciting activities such as Papel Picado, crafting Paper Marigolds, creating Calaca Paper Cutout, and decorating a Pre-made Calaca Magnet that participants can take home. Please note that the  Pre-made Calaca Magnet workshops are only available on the 21st and the 28th of October. 

All materials will be provided. The Dia de Los Muertos Community Art Workshops will be held at the East Los Angeles Library every Saturday of the month of October in the Community Room. Limited public parking is available. The East Los Angeles County Library is located at 4837 E 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90022, directly across from the Metro L Line East LA Civic Center Station, at 3rd Street and Mednik Avenue.

Wayne Perry is an artist from East LA who works mainly with ceramics and is also a printmaker and painter. Wayne’s artwork deals with concepts of memory. He has worked with the LA Metro Art Program as a consultant and holds a board member position at Self Help Graphics. 

DispLAced is a serigraph print created in 2017, illustrating a rooster and orange tree in the foreground, represented with warm hues of orange, yellow, and green. In contrast, the industrialization in the background is depicted in a cool blue-gray tone meant to create atmospheric perspective while simultaneously serving as a color palette for the ongoing commercialization of Los Angeles. I found the colors and positions of the warm and cool to be interesting because even though the industrialization is mostly shown in the background, it slowly creeps to the front of the print with the freeway and the crane holding the house up almost as if the gray is moving towards the viewer. 

Q: Can you share about the intention behind your work DispLAced and some of the symbols in the artwork?

A: This was actually my very first time doing a serigraph. I had never done one before. I worked with Oscar Duardo who was really helpful in teaching me how to do the separations. I knew that I wasn't gonna have very tight control so I wanted to make it look like a painting and that one just came out exactly how I wanted it to come out. Beginner’s luck I guess. Plus it was really meaningful at the time. 

There was all this development going on downtown at the time of this print. All these galleries were opening up in Boyle Heights and there was an article in the New York Times where one of the gallery owners described Boyle Heights saying there's nothing there– sort of desolate. They said all that was there were stray dogs and tacos. That was the quote that sort of set everything off. We were furious so we started gathering information from the city about all these developments in the planning process that started way before we knew about it. Since then, all the galleries have disappeared and we’re still here.

 The neighborhood has held together pretty well. The whole point of that print was to highlight the fight to preserve the neighborhood and keep people from being pushed out with all this development rolling over the river. We had watched this happen in Echo Park and it was scary seeing it coming. When all the dust settles, the heart of the community is still gonna be here. That's why the print has all these skyscrapers and development. As a result of the development, the dream of owning a house is removed in most of the community. In the middle of it, there's a rooster on a post between all this change. My grandma had roosters. She lived in LA and always had them. In every community I've lived in around LA, I would hear roosters;It's this idea that you’re bringing the rancho from Mexico to the middle of this major metropolis. I used to see roosters crossing the 101. All this is happening but the culture will survive.

That was the point. All these developments and changes. Everyone was bracing for it. Once the dust settles, I think a lot of that culture is still gonna be here. It's been 8 years [ since I did the print] and we’re still here. Self Help is still here. 

I wanted to explore the world that exists east of the freeway. I would pull from tourism postcards and fruit crate artwork. This idealized vision of Los Angeles completely illuminated this rich cultural reality that exists and has been completely ignored by all media until recently. 

At first glance it's this ideal image of the skyline of LA with palm trees and the orange tree. But when you look close you can see the displacement. There's always this underlined story that is usually overlooked and ignored. 

Q: When/ How did you start making art? What's your art journey?

A: My mother took art classes at ELAC when I was a kid and she would always have paintings and drawings. So when I was a kid I used to paint with her. We had this one book, it was a catalog of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art and it had prints of all the major artworks throughout the years. I would look at that book and memorize all the different artworks and artists. This was like the beginning of training in art history and I just– watching movies as a young teenager, that was the life I wanted to live and as I got older. I didn't know of any artists or art schools and that's why the Getty Internship was so important to me because it connected me to things I never ever encountered before and it really changed everything for me.

I took up ceramics when I was an intern and sent to work with an artist– Peter Shire in Echo Park. He does sculpture and tile murals and he asked me if I wanted a job doing ceramics, and we would do tile murals. So I worked with mostly chicano muralists. I did that for about 15 to 20 years.

I was always drawing as a kid– I took up painting and drawing. I went to Pasadena City College and graduated from there. I never considered ceramics but when I transferred to OTIS, I got to know Ralph Becero who's the head of the ceramics department and he convinced me to attend OTIS for ceramics. I was there for the first year. This was when it was still Downtown. They eventually told us they were moving and they were getting rid of ceramics. So I left after that. 

It's really difficult to make a living with art. It's sort of an impossibility, being an artist and making a living making art. I found a little niche making ceramic murals. All these opportunities kept coming to me and I learned a lot about portrait making, tile making, and public art.I didn't really pursue ceramics but these opportunities kept coming to me. 

Eventually, Metro approached me about working for them doing conservation on existing projects. Now I manage restoration and advise on materials for new projects.

Q: You work as a consultant for the Los Angeles Metro Public Art Program. What is the importance to you of showcasing and having these artworks accessible to the public as a day to day visual or auditory landscape?  

A: The purpose of the program is to create an environment that somehow involves and communicates to the immediate community about their own community. A lot of these artists are from these communities. There has been a challenge bringing in artists from the community to apply because without resources you might not get through the selection process. This has been a challenge to bring in people from the community. I saw this experience when doing the Crenshaw line in South Central. 

The selection panel is not from Metro Art, it’s people from the community; community art organizations, leaders, and artists from the communities. But the pool of artists is sometimes very narrow because it requires you to have certain resources to put together a portfolio, a proposal, and go to these meetings to do all the admin stuff. A lot of people get left out because they don’t have the capacity to do that. That's where a lot of the selection of artists on the Crenshaw line did not accurately reflect the demographics of the community. They would bring me into these meetings and I was in the forefront of the pushback from the community.

So, that's the challenge- how do you reach people in the community to get involved in a lot of these programs and opportunities? They do the bare minimum of outreach and it doesn't reach everybody. Your outreach is everything. If you struggle with that you’re not gonna have an effective program or organization.

A lot of the arts institutions are off putting. When I was younger going to museums, I was waiting for security to kick me out. I still worry that security is gonna ask me what I’m doing or ask me to leave even when I go to The Getty to give workshops. I never felt welcome. That's the point of me being there now. I want people to see me there and understand that this is for everyone. For people that look like them. 

When I was younger, the artwork absolutely did not reflect my experience or my community so these programs are important for that reason. That's the nature of public art. Everyone gets to see it. You don't have to go into these institutions. You can see it in your community.

Q: Most of your work, whether it's a print or ceramic, explores community, history, and memory. When did you begin to become interested in the history of the people around you?

A: I started doing this series of unglazed terracotta and because artwork from communities of color was not regarded in the same way, I was finding it hard.  In ceramics, porcelain was the only thing that mattered. Terracotta was Mexican folk art, working tile. I had other people ask me why I would use terracotta. Sort of looking down on it. The same way they disregard these communities who have rich ceramic history. All these ceramics studios are opening up– not people of color. 

I used to do workshops at Self Help in 2014 and it would be $10 per person. People would come and tell me how out of place they felt in those studios. When I first got an instagram. I realized that I never see black people doing pottery on Instagram. So, I typed the hashtag black potters and I would only see teenage boys dressed as Harry Potter.

There was an obvious problem. Why aren't these communities engaging in this practice? It's because it's deliberately exclusive. That's why I started taking my wheel out. I've had thousands of people have their first experience on the wheel through all of my workshops. 

Q: Do you have any upcoming work or anything that you’d like to share?
A: After George Floyd, my phone started blowing up. I was kind of under the radar before that. I refer to them as post black square opportunities. There was all this push for equity and inclusion and I would always start off the meeting saying ‘I know I’m here because you have a diversity problem’. And I would tell them that  I know why I’m here. I know what you're doing. And, I’m gonna take this opportunity to do something with it rather than staying out of the conversation like we’ve been. 

Jacqueline Aguirre is the Getty Marrow Documentation and Archives Intern at Self Help Graphics & Art. She is a lifelong art enthusiast and an undergraduate student at UCLA studying Linguistics.

I spoke with the artist Poli Marichal to learn more about the print and her art practice. Poli is a multidisciplinary artist based in Puerto Rico whose main practice is printmaking and experimental film. Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Poli spent most of her adulthood in Los Angeles, where she found community in East LA and at Self Help Graphics. 

Poli created her print, A Communal Tree for LA, in 2016 for the California Community Foundation Centennial Campaign. The print depicts a contrast between nature and industrialization. Poli portrays a giant tree representing a man and a woman with people and buildings within the trunk. Toward the bottom of the print there are different freeways as extensions of the tree, representing the tree roots. Also depicted are LA landmarks like the “Welcome to Whittier’ sign, the 6th St. bridge, and palm trees along the side of the tree. The print’s warm tones emits a hazy feeling to the artwork, evoking memory and nostalgia. 

What was the initial thought process behind the print, A Communal Tree for LA?

A: I’ve done a lot of work that deals with nature, trees, and conservation. When they invited me to participate [ in the centennial campaign], I felt that making a tree that incorporated the male and female forms sort of embraced the community and protecting it was a poetic way of approaching the theme of the exhibition and the project itself. I wanted to incorporate geographical landmarks that people could recognize so people could not only see something abstract but also something specific. I was brought up in the countryside. So, as a child, the trees were my playground. I think that experience really marked my connection with nature. So, I incorporate it alot in my work. 

Los Angeles is kind of like a hillish human body. The freeways are so necessary and there is such a big space they need to cover. When you think of LA, you also think of freeways. I wanted them to feel like veins of the city or the roots of the trees.

I think I’m more of a symbolic artist. I like to create works of art that focus on expression and to communicate with people about who they are and where they're going. The major questions: life, death, and conservation– A lot of my work deals with making people conscious of the beauty and the sacredness of nature —But also human rights. If we don't respect human life, what are we doing? Every human life is a miracle. When people say “my country” , who determines that? A war? [Borders] weren’t there before. LA used to be Mexico and before it was Mexico it was indigenous land. It was a very violent way of taking land and people have to take responsibility. But, unfortunately that's an ongoing struggle. 

The inaccessibility of green space is an issue that many Angelenos face. I know that you grew up in Puerto Rico and are currently living there now, do you see a similar issue back home?

A: Well, everything grows in PR even if you don't take care of it so there’s green all over. Even in the city where there’s a lot of concrete and it's cluttered, there are tons of trees and birds. If they haven’t constructed anything, it's full of plants because it rains so much! 

Even if there is development happening over there, people still try to keep green around them?

A: Yeah everyone has something that bears fruit here because a lot of people have rural roots and everyone has relatives in the countryside. So everyone wants to bring their farms to the city. A lot of people I know have huge breadfruit in their houses. 

It's great to hear that people still keep that going

A: Most people in general, even younger people keep it going. My nephew is working on a communal orchard with students from the university. He spends a lot of time there. They give the surplus to the students who need it. There's a lot of poverty in PR because of the political situation. We have a government that is very corrupt. So, the communal garden is for students that don’t have a lot of money to pay for food. 

After hurricane Maria, there was a big push for community movements because people realized that the government is not gonna fix anything– it has to be the people.

 How did you start making art?

A: My father was a refugee from the Spanish civil war and he went to Mexico where he started learning how to print. As a little girl he taught me linocut. I was always drawing everywhere and taking his art materials. I had many siblings and my father did set designs in the theaters and we would help him paint the sets. There's no money in the arts in PR, especially in the theater, it's uphill all the time. So we were always giving a hand. It's a very tight community and it's hard making it here. But we had the greatest time as kids. 

Did  growing up in the theater  influence you to do film as well?

A: Well my father loved film so I watched a lot of films with him growing up. But, my mother also wrote documentaries. So, I learned alot about editing and I knew I wanted to get involved in film. But I also worked for an animation studio in PR . 

I learned animation the hard way. But, now I do alot of digital animation. I like to animate my prints. I don't really do narrative films, it's more of a stream of consciousness. Right now, I'm working on a film about disenfranchisement of people and people losing their countries so people moving around with a nest on their heads.

Any work you have coming up that you’d like to share?

A: Right now, I’m working on a solo show in Puerto Rico in a very special gallery. I'm also working with La Jornada Puertorriqueno with a big group of more than 30 printmakers. We are going to do prints of the most relevant afro-puertorican people and we will pass them around San Juan. That's starting in 2024.

Jacqueline Aguirre is the Documentation and Archives Getty Intern at Self Help Graphics & Art. She is a lifelong art enthusiast and an undergraduate student at UCLA studying Linguistics.

Los Angeles is ever changing. Whether the change is good or bad is still not something I can clearly answer. Growing up in Koreatown, there weren’t many public spaces where I could sit and exist with people outside of my apartment without having to pay for boba, dinner, or a gym membership. I have distinct memories of elders playing chess outside of the Mc Donald’s on 7th and Western… until the tables were taken down so they wouldn’t ‘loiter’. I remember the time my friends and I wanted to take a break from walking by the giant bank on Oxford… until a security guard kicked us out because we weren’t allowed to sit on the benches. Communal spaces were not a priority for whoever developed Koreatown.

These kinds of experiences have always made me think about the way we as people take up public spaces. Why is it that Koreatown doesn't have parks? Why doesn’t South Central have sufficient shaded areas for people to rest? Why don’t we value the importance of being around trees and one another outside? These are all questions that I have had as I see this city evolving– especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. But, I have also seen changes that acknowledge these issues. I’ve seen a push for a pocket park in front of the Pio Pico Library; community runs open to the public in Ktown, South Central, Boyle Heights and beyond; and community fridges all over LA. These are all examples of communal efforts to create space ourselves even if the infrastructure doesn’t make it easy.

As I started working with the Self Help Graphics’ archive this summer, I noticed that many artworks in the collection have themes of community, connection, nature, displacement, and many interpretations of what Los Angeles is and what it could be. I was immediately able to connect with them because I saw my story being told. That’s the beauty of archival work. There is history and stories on top of stories behind every print at Self Help Graphics. 

Guided by the theme of communal space and connection, I picked several artworks and have been lucky to connect and interview the artists to provide more context behind their pieces and hear their own iteration of their work. I had the pleasure of speaking with Poli Marichal about her time in Los Angeles, her connection with nature, and her community here and in Puerto Rico. I spoke with Pavel Acevedo about his own artistic journey and experience connecting with the art scenes in Oaxaca, Los Angeles, and the Inland Empire. I spoke with Clover and Wayne Perry about living and growing up in LA.

In the coming weeks, I will be sharing each of these artworks, providing my analysis, and the interviews with each artist. I’m very honored to be able to learn from these artists and connect with them through our love of art and visions of what a community could look like.

Jacqueline Aguirre is the Documentation and Archives Getty Intern at Self Help Graphics & Art. She is a lifelong art enthusiast and an undergraduate student at UCLA studying Linguistics.

As an artist that grew up in South Central LA, an area with very few art programs/resources, this mission has always resonated with me and I continue to carry it in my work as SHG’s Art Services Manager. As the Art Services Manager, my job involves coordinating workshops with community partners, working closely with our cohort of teaching artists, and overseeing other art services such as murals and commissions.

BMAS’s goal to offer multigenerational workshops inspired me to develop a program that served one of our most valuable populations, our elders. In the same spirit of nurturing future generations with programs such as S.O.Y. Artista, I wanted to do the same for our older generations who may not have had the same opportunities at a younger age.

Through this program, Self Help Graphics partners with a community organization to provide a mini series of weekly workshops that give senior citizens the opportunity to explore their creativity and learn new artforms. Our teaching artists develop a project or individual weekly lessons based on the senior’s interests and themes that are important to them. Additionally, in an effort to create art experiences that are accessible and inclusive to our native spanish-speaking population, our workshops are bilingual.

Lastly, these workshops are always free for participants to attend and made possible through grant funding from The Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA).

The first iteration of this program was done in partnership with the East Los Angeles Community Corporation (ELACC) at the Cielito Lindo Apartments, an affordable housing unit whose percentage of residents are senior citizens. This mini workshop series took place in May 2023 and was led by our teaching artist Martha Carrillo and assistant artist Connie Mendoza.

In this series, Martha taught participants the art of paper mache and how to create decorations, such as bowls, for the senior’s homes or common areas. Many of the seniors attending were familiar with paper mache in their own tradition or through the calavera paper mache workshops Self Help Graphics offers annually during the Day of the Dead season. Participants shared that they really appreciated the chance to learn new techniques and other ways to use this medium to express themselves.

After the successful completion of this workshop series with the Cielito Lindo Apartment seniors, our BMAS team continues to plan and welcome new partnerships to serve more senior citizens throughout Los Angeles.

If your organization serves seniors, is within the city of Los Angeles, and you are interested in partnering up with a us for a mini series, please reach out to me via email at cynthia.navarro@selfhelpgraphics.com.

Cynthia is the Art Services Manager at Self Help Graphics & Art. Cynthia is an illustrator from South Central Los Angeles.