Three free events celebrating art, life, and community!
When we first began planning this weekend with Visiting Artist Salvador Jiménez-Flores over a year ago, we couldn’t have imagined the drastic, devastating social & political developments that we’re now experiencing as a nation.
Through Executive Orders and Executive Actions, our federal government has largely defunded, crippled, or taken over arts and cultural institutions. Through direct pressure, regulations, and threats of prosecution, they’ve asserted control over art exhibitions, historical monuments, and the very idea of what it means to be an American. And so we find ourselves in a precarious and critical time for artists to explore and celebrate cultural identity.
We’re so grateful to MillerKnollFoundation for supporting this weekend’s activities as part of our Visiting Artist Series. This series, which also included a 3-month Artist in Residency and 2 Career Exploration Panels, celebrates and elevates the work of artists from historically underrepresented communities, and helps our student body envision successful careers in the arts.
Last year, when we reached out about the possibility of him coming to Holland, Salvador Jiménez-Flores invited us to attend Grabadolandia Print Festival in Pilsen, IL. We happily obliged and spent 3 days in November with 15 students in Chicago. Grabadolandia is hosted at the National Museum of Mexican Art and organized by the Instituto Gráfico de Chicago, an activist art group, of which Salvador is an organizing member. We toured the murals of Pilsen as well as the Art Institute of Chicago; we participated in Grabadolandia; and Salvador hosted us for a delicious lunch in Pilsen.
As we’ve gotten to know Salvador over the last year, one thing has stood out, those who have the opportunity to work with him are in awe of his artistry and grateful to call him friend. His work explores the politics of identity, double consciousness, colonization, migration, “the other,” and futurism through socially conscious installation, public, and studio-based art. His practice spans community-based work, drawing, ceramics, prints, and mixed media sculpture. In getting to know him, we’ve seen that his work and his joy is to serve, support, and connect with others, and so we were thrilled to offer 3 free community events with Salvador in September of 2025.
On Friday afternoon, 12 high school students learned more about Salvador’s artistic practice and carved blocks representing their own cultural identities. We test printed those blocks and then used them over the course of the weekend at our other events.
On Friday evening we hosted Tortilla Social, an intimate, family friendly gathering centered on food, art making, and conversation. Salvador taught us how to make fresh tortillas and then screenprint them with mole sauce, and we feasted on great food and conversation.
On Saturday, we offered a community printmaking event in collaboration with Tulip City Mural Festival. It was a joy to partner with 3sixty once again to provide free hands-on art activities amidst the fantastic mural painting, music, and dancing.
The whole weekend was a celebration of life, art, and community, and as such, it was also an act of defiance and hope. Over a shared a meal, artmaking, and personal stories, we connected with new friends in an act of solidarity and resistance, of hope and community building.
Many thanks to all who helped make this weekend possible:
- Salvador, who began a 3 month sabbatical and artist in residency program at Kohler Co., immediately after his visit to Holland
- MillerKnoll Foundation and Michigan Council for Arts & Culture
- Hope Church, for hosting our Tortilla Social
- Tulip City Mural Festival
- and our Student Advisory Council, who were on hand throughout the weekend as helpers and hosts!
