Opening Reception and Artist Talk with IGC

Friday, November 2, 4:30pm, Walford Galleries, Adams Hall

Instituto Gráfico de Chicago (IGC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to maintaining the critical activist tradition of Latino printmaking that unites communities of struggle around the world. IGC offers arts education programs for new generations to engage in printmaking as a social force. This network of printers comes together to advance the legacy and vitality of printmaking by hosting community events and creating opportunities for artists to participate in print exchange projects and promote their work in group exhibitions.

Art of Protest / Art of Dreams: Contemporary Printmaking in Oaxaca and Chicago

Mexico has a long-standing tradition of using printmaking as a force for social and political engagement. This exhibition explores the impact of this tradition on Latino artists today, bringing together over 30 printmakers from Oaxaca, Mexico to Chicago, USA. These artists share a common commitment to using art to draw people together and imagine a better future. Although they come from geographically and culturally diverse places, they are united in a belief in collaboration as a foundation for community, activism, and outreach. The work in the exhibition ranges from political protest to thought-provoking and poetic explorations of gender, domesticity, tradition, and contemporary life. Among the artists and presses featured are Edith Chávez and Ivan Bautista of Burro Press, Oaxaca, and the members of Instituto Gráfico de Chicago.

In conjunction with the exhibition, there will be several free hands-on printmaking workshops hosted by Instituto Gráfico de Chicago, as well as a panel discussion exploring the social, political, and artistic contexts of Oaxaca’s vibrant print scene.