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Tuesday 10am - 6pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 6pm

Self Help Graphics & Art

Nearby non profit organizations

Peter Christian Hernandez Memorial Scholarship

SHG fosters artists through its world-class printmaking practice and supports the role of artists as leaders. With a grant from the Order of the Sisters of St.

It has produced more than 2,000 art print editions and more than 55 Atelier projects and exhibitions all over the world. Our Story

Self Help Graphics & Art, is an organization that serves as an important cultural arts center that has encouraged and promoted Chicana/o and Latina/o art in the Los Angeles community and beyond. Founded in 1970 as "Art, Inc.", but incorporated as a non-profit organiza

tion in 1973 as "Self Help Graphics & Art" (SHG), SHG is dedicated to the production, interpretation and distribution of prints and other art media by Chicana/o and Latinx artists. Our multidisciplinary and intergenerational programs promote artistic excellence and empower our community by providing access to space, tools, training and capital.

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The seeds of what would become Self Help Graphics & Art were planted in 1970 during the height of the Chicano Civil Rights movement when two young q***r Mexican artists, Carlos Bueno and Antonio Ibañez and several Chicano artists, including Frank Hernandez, met Franciscan nun and Temple University-trained Master Artist, Sister Karen Boccalero. Reflective of the contemporary social and political climate, Bueno and Ibañez were frustrated by the inaccessibility and lack of facilities available to young Chicanos wishing to develop their talents as artists. The cost of private art schools was prohibitive to most Chicanos. While it is generally conceded that art is an intensely personal expression that holds no creative boundaries, some in the art world did not yet accept the concept of a unique Chicano art that would serve as an expression of cultural values. In this context, they set out to develop a plan that would remedy this situation; a plan that would not only serve the needs of aspiring Chicano artists, but that would also serve the greater East Los Angeles community. Long hours of careful planning and canvassing the community for support ultimately paid off. Francis, the trio (who by this time were joined by others interested in serving their cause) were able to acquire 2,000 square feet of space that had once served as a gymnasium in the heart of East Los Angeles. Its subsequent conversion into an art studio and gallery enabled the group to open the doors of Self Help Graphics in 1972. The organization was so well-received by the surrounding community and by aspiring artists that operations soon outgrew the 2,000 square foot facility. Continuing the search for funding through public as well as private resources, a grant from the Campaign for Human Development in 1973 enabled SHGA to acquire an additional 7,000 square feet adjacent to the existing studio and gallery space. Once Self Help Graphics & Art was firmly established as an art center, the core members of the group began to think beyond the walls of the studio and imagine how in addition to developing their own talents and furthering Chicana/o and Latina/o art, they could reach out in a way that would benefit the greater East Los Angeles community. Placed in its larger historical context, Self Help Graphics & Art's efforts may be seen as a microcosm of the macrocosmic Chicano Power movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. One of the goals of this movement was to foster an appreciation for Chicano roots. Chicano activists placed an emphasis on their precolonial past rather than on their European Spanish heritage. Many contemporary activists argued that rather than honoring and preserving this heritage, the dominant Anglo socio-cultural norms were eroding the indigenous culture. Like these activists, Self Help Graphics & Art feared that within such an atmosphere, young Chicanos would not only soon forget their cultural values, but would also develop a negative sense of their heritage and of themselves in light of the Anglo socio-cultural practices and values being taught in the public school system and disseminated by the popular media. Self Help Graphics & Art spent long hours developing and planning ways through which in addition to exposing barrio children to a variety of artistic media, they could utilize art forms to instill within these children a positive sense of self, community, and culture. Many of the children that Self Help Graphics & Art wished to help were either migrants themselves, or the sons and daughters of migrants not far removed from their homelands. Since participation in art does not require a sophisticated command of spoken or written language, art was perceived as an excellent vehicle by which to achieve this end. While Self Help Graphics & Art held workshops on its premises to educate neighborhood children (as well as adults) about art and culture, the sheer physical geography of East Los Angeles isolated much of the target group from their services. In an effort to remedy this shortcoming, they set out to devise a plan that would bring the art studio to the surrounding community. In August 1974, following an exhaustive fundraising campaign, Self Help Graphics & Art instituted the Barrio Mobile Art Studio. The organization acquired and customized a van for this purpose. This specially equipped van introduced children to filmmaking, silkscreen, photography, sculpture, batik, painting, and puppetry. Through a contract with the Los Angeles Unified School District, Self Help Graphics & Art was able to bring its program to various East Los Angeles elementary schools and thus provide a level of multicultural education in the arts to children who currently had none in their curriculum. The Barrio Mobile Art Studio program was enormously successful and well-received by students, teachers, school administrators, and civic leaders. It remained in operation until Self Help Graphics & Art phased out the program in 1985. Arguably, the Barrio Mobile Art Studio served as a prototype for the types of multicultural curriculum programs that the Los Angeles Unified School District would later adopt. Self Help Graphics & Art has played an active role in community affairs. Included among these activities are the sponsoring of numerous workshops and art exhibitions. Ever since 1974 the organization staged the now nationally recognized East Los Angeles Dia de los Mu***os Celebration. This holiday, which is traditionally celebrated on November 1 and has its origins in Mexico, was originally conceived of as a one-time celebration to be staged by Self Help Graphics & Art. The following year the community demand for this event was so great that the organization decided to continue sponsoring the annual event. With support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, the East Los Angeles Dia de los Mu***os celebration grew into an event that attracted national attention. The elaborate celebration continued to survive and thrive not only because of grant money received from numerous public agencies and private foundations but through the widespread community support that served as the backbone for producing the celebration. This three-day celebration accomplished some of Self Help Graphics & Art's goals by educating East Los Angeles residents of their heritage, introducing them to the creative processes involved in art, and ultimately, helping to build a stronger community. By 1985, the Dia de los Mu***os celebration had become so popular among the residents of East Los Angeles that the program could be sustained without the primary support of Self Help Graphics & Art. With the assurance that others would take up the responsibility for planning and organizing the event, the organization decided to take a secondary role in staging the celebration. Such a role allowed SHGA to devote more time and energy to the primary reason behind its founding: furthering Chicano Art and providing a training ground for aspiring Chicano artists. Self Help Graphics & Art has developed an international reputation for the exceptional quality of the screenprints produced by artists at the facility, while its gallery also receives much praise and is well-recognized as an important arena for exhibiting artists' works. With its continued emphasis on advancing Chicana/o and Latina/o art, Self Help Graphics & Art remains one of the most important centers in the country for training Chicana/o and Latina/o artists.

Photos from Self Help Graphics & Art's post

06/18/2026

Thank you Hyperallergic (Hyperallergic) for including The Print Center’s (The Print Center) exhibition 𝘼𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖 𝙏𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮: 𝙑𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙩 in this list of “25 Art Shows Reckoning With the US at 250”!

These exhibitions and projects reframe and challenge the story of the United States and are on view all over the country. Regarding 𝘼𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖 𝙏𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮, Hyperallergic’s Rhea Nayyar (rhea nayyar) writes: “This group exhibition reflects on printmaking’s role in archiving and shaping the history of the United States, and undresses contemporary American democracy to examine the integrity and resistance of its fabric by holding it over a flame. Curated across several themes informing today’s political climate, works by Natalie Ball, Howardena Pindell, Lehuauakea, Chakaia Booker, and several others representing six mission-driven print shops nationwide confront the history and futurity of the country as we stand at a crossroads.”

📢❗️❗️❗️If you want to learn more about the 𝘼𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖 𝙏𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮 artworks and their themes, come to a panel discussion happening this Thursday June 18, at 6 PM, at the Los Angeles Public Library’s (Los Angeles Public Library) The Mark Taper Auditorium.

Moderated by The Print Center’s curator Lauren Rosenblum and SHG’s Executive Director Paulina M. Flores, this discussion will feature the perspectives of participating artists from Self Help Graphics & Art: Consuelo G. Flores (Consuelo G. Flores), Álvaro D. Márquez (Álvaro Daniel Márquez), and SHG’s Lead Printer, Dewey Tafoya (Dewey Tafoya). Together, they will discuss their featured works in the exhibition and explore how printmaking can address issues of civic life and how their prints engage with the social and political forces shaping the nation today.

Read the Hyperallergic article here: https://hyperallergic.com/25-art-shows-reckoning-with-the-us-at-250/

Register to the free panel here: bit.ly/shg-americatoday

06/17/2026

𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘰 𝘎𝘳á𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢, a forthcoming documentary on Self Help Graphics & Art, has released Los Angeles–based John Valadez’s (John Valadezjhnnv) 2026 print 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘪𝘳𝘵!

Regarding the print, the artist says, “𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘪𝘳𝘵 bring together imagery from different moments in time, personal photographs, historical references, and cultural symbols to explore continuity between the ancient and the contemporary. I’m interested in how identity is carried through these layers through protest, ritual, and everyday life.”

This limited-edition serigraph marks the artist’s first photo-montage silkscreen and his return to printmaking at Self Help Graphics. Produced nearly 50 years after his first commission at Self Help Graphics in 1977, this new edition represents both a return and a formal evolution in his practice.

Proceeds from the sale of this limited edition will directly support the production of 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘰 𝘎𝘳á𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢! 🤎🤎🤎

Want to view it in person? Check it out at Plaza de la Raza’s (Plaza de la Raza) La Tiendita Gallery!

Learn more about the print here: www.selfhelpgraphics.com/blog/chicanografica-johnvaladez

06/16/2026

Our hearts are with the family and friends of Armando Norte, who passed away on June 4, 2026. Armando was a beloved presence in our printmaking studio whose work was unmistakable, blending science fiction, comic books and traditional Chicano art into something singularly unique. Not only was Armando known for his prints, but he was also an illustrator in his own right, known for his work in many animated children’s shows in the 1980s like “He-Man: Masters of the Universe,” “She-Ra: Princess of Power,” “The Real Ghostbusters,” and more. He was an important member of Self Help Graphics & Art’s community and will be missed immensely ❤️‍🩹

Armando met Consuelo G. Flores, another artist and curator at SHG, at one of SHG’s Día de los Mu***os workshops in the early 1980s, and when the two married, it was Sister Karen Boccalero who helped them secure a priest in just two weeks. Their two sons grew up at Self Help, surrounded by ink, color, and creativity with Sister Karen and SHG’s artists as an extension of their family.

Consuelo will announce the date, location and time of a memorial for Armando in the near future.

He will be profoundly missed.

❤️‍🔥 Armando Norte PRESENTE! ❤️‍🔥

𝙸𝙼𝙰𝙶𝙴 𝙲𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂
🔸 Crop of Ricardo Valverde’s photograph “Cuarto Mu***os” from 1981, featuring Consuelo G. Flores and Armando Norte

🔸 Announcement poster for SHG’s Día de los Mu***os by Amando Norte, 1982.

🔸 Armando Norte, Untitled, 1983. Screenprint print.

🔸 Armando Norte, Shadows Of Ghosts, 1989. Screenprint.

🔸 Armando Norte, Savagery & Technology, 1983. Screenprint.

🔸 Armando Norte, Niña Héroe, 1992. Screenprint.

🔸 Armando Norte, Consuelo Flores, and sons on August 1998 at Self Help Graphics & Art

To learn more about Armando’s legacy, read this article by Calo News (Calo News) here: bit.ly/armandonorte

06/10/2026

Join Self Help Graphics & Art’s Executive Director Paulina Flores and The Print Center’s curator Lauren Rosenblum for a dynamic conversation with Self Help Graphics’ artists: Consuelo Flores (.flores), Alvaro Marquez (), and Lead Printer, Dewey Tafoya ().

Together, they will discuss their featured works in the exhibition 𝘼𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖 𝙏𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮: 𝙑𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙩 at The Print Center () in Philadelphia and explore how printmaking can address issues of civic life and how their prints engage with the social and political forces shaping the nation today.

The Self Help Graphics artists included in this exhibition are Consuelo Flores (.flores), Álvaro D. Márquez (), Luis-Genaro García (), Melissa Govea (), Priscilla Hernandez(), and José Lozano. Their artworks in the exhibit were printed at Self Help Graphics & Art’s Professional Printmaking Studio.

🗓️: Thursday June 18, 2026 | 6 PM
📍: Los Angeles Central Library | The Mark Taper Auditorium
🗺: 630 West Fifth Street, Los Angeles, CA

Reserve your free ticket here: bit.ly/shg-americatoday

06/05/2026

Good news! is helping us stock our community art programs with the supplies our artists need to create boldly and in abundance! 🌈⋆.°🎨✨🤗🌀

This summer, participate in their 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 & 𝗚𝗲𝘁 campaign! Between 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟭 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟭𝟮, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, visit the Pasadena store, purchase new art materials, and donate them on the spot to support our programs. We have a lil’ wishlist, and is stocking the front sections of the store with many of the items we’re hoping to receive.

As a thank-you, you’ll receive a 𝟮𝟬% 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲-𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗼𝗻, valid in-store from 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟭𝟮–𝟯𝟭, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲.

These art supplies will go directly into our free community arts programs, including family workshops, ongoing summer youth programs, and more. 🎨🖌️🌿✨

Thank you in advance for helping us keep our classrooms, workshops, and creative spaces stocked with the materials our community needs to learn, experiment, and make art together!

📍: Blick Art Materials | 44 S Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA 91105
🗓️: June 1 and July 12, 2026

06/04/2026

Our 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐨 𝐌𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨’s route for June! ☀️❀˖°🐬⛱️ Join us at these public art workshops happening all over LA! 🎨🚛💨

✰ June 9, 1:30pm-3:30pm | East LA Community Resource Center (): Clay Alebrijes

✰ June 10, 4:00pm-5:00pm | Los Angeles Public Library- Vernon Branch (): Painting with Coffee

✰ June 13, 10:00am-1:00pm | Proyecto Pastoral Women’s Conference (): Stencil Screenprinting on Totes

✰ June 14, 12:00pm-3:00pm | Willowbrook Community Garden (): Soft Block Printing on Patches

To learn more about 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐨 𝐌𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨 (BMAS), SHG’s mobile arts education studio, visit our website: https://www.selfhelpgraphics.com/bmas

06/03/2026

How can printmaking respond to the urgency of civic life today? 🎨🌍

Join curator Lauren Rosenblum for a dynamic conversation with Self Help Graphics’ artists: Consuelo Flores (.flores), Alvaro Marquez (), and Lead Printer, Dewey Tafoya ().

Together, they will discuss their featured works in the exhibition 𝘼𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖 𝙏𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮: 𝙑𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙩 at The Print Center () in Philadelphia and explore how printmaking can address issues of civic life and how their prints engage with the social and political forces shaping the nation today.

The Self Help Graphics artists included in this exhibition are Consuelo Flores (.flores), Álvaro D. Márquez (), Luis-Genaro García (), Melissa Govea (), Priscilla Hernandez(), and José Lozano. Their artworks in the exhibit were printed at Self Help Graphics & Art’s Professional Printmaking Studio.

🗓️: Thursday June 18, 2026 | 6 PM
📍: Los Angeles Central Library | The Mark Taper Auditorium
🗺: 630 West Fifth Street, Los Angeles, CA

Reserve your free ticket here: bit.ly/shg-americatoday

06/02/2026

In the short film, Ofelia and Rosanna Esparza: 𝘔𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳(11:55 min), Ofelia Esparza and her daughter, Rosanna Esparza Ahrens, reflect on the ofrenda as both cultural obligation and art: a bridge between the living and the dead, and between the stories of generations past and those yet to come. 🌀🌀🌀

This film will be screened at The Getty () as part of their Artist Dialogues series. Following the screening, Ofelia and Rosanna Esparza will join Los Angeles County’s Civic Art Conservation and Collections Manager Laleña Vellanoweth for a conversation on the conservation of their work and audience Q&A. This will conclude with a reception for in-person attendees, with parking validation provided.

🗓️: Saturday June 6, 2026, 3 PM
📍: Getty Center | Museum Lecture Hall, Online

Reserve your free ticket here: https://www.getty.edu/calendar/ofelia-and-rosanna-esparza-film-screening/

[image credit: Raíces Cósmicas (Cosmic Roots), 2018, Ofelia Esparza. Photo: Courtesy of the Artist and the Vincent Price Art Museum]

06/01/2026

𝙵𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚜 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙻𝚒𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚛𝚢: 𝙰 𝙿𝚘𝚕𝚢𝚖𝚎𝚛 𝙺𝚎𝚢𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝙻𝚊𝚋 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚂𝙷𝙶’𝚜 𝚈𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚑 𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚎 🔑🔗🧸

Discover the art of miniatures in this fun polymer keychain workshop! Led by SHG’s Youth Committee members, participants will explore hands-on sculpting techniques to create their own tiny wearable artworks. Inspired by favorite summer fruits, traditional snacks, and refreshing drinks, each keychain becomes a small celebration of cultural memory and imagination.

This hands-on workshop is for all ages and experience levels. All materials will be provided. Walk-ins welcome.

🗓️: Saturday June 13, 2026 | 1 pm - 2:30 pm
📍: East Los Angeles Library | Community Room
🗺: 4837 E 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90022

FREE tickets here: https://bit.ly/tinytreasures2026

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Telephone

+13238816444

Website

http://www.selfhelpgraphics.com/

Address

1300 E 1st Street
Los Angeles, CA
90033

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10am - 6pm
Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 6pm