Chicano Park Museum Showcases 'Print As Protest' Exhibition

Curator Irie Zepeda brings community-driven printmaking to the forefront

Apr. 10, 2026 at 9:48pm

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A dynamic, abstract composition of bold, angular shapes in black, white, and red, conveying the energy and urgency of protest art and community-driven printmaking.The 'Print As Protest' exhibition at Chicano Park Museum celebrates the power of community-driven printmaking as a tool for social change.San Diego Today

Artist, printmaker, and founder of Por La Mano Press y Arte, Irie Zepeda, is curating a new exhibition called 'Print As Protest/Grafica En Resistencia' at the Chicano Park Museum & Cultural Center. The show highlights the power of printmaking as a tool for protest, solidarity, and community storytelling, drawing inspiration from Zepeda's own upbringing in the Barrio Logan neighborhood of San Diego.

Why it matters

The exhibition taps into a long legacy of using print media to amplify marginalized voices and support social movements, from the Chicano Rights Movement to the ongoing fight against gentrification. By centering community-driven art practices, the show aims to provide a platform for local artists to share their narratives and connect with the broader public.

The details

The exhibition features work by various artists that explores themes of resistance, cultural preservation, and the importance of public spaces like Chicano Park and the historic Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. One piece by an artist depicts an illustration of the Mariachi Plaza printed on a sweater, highlighting how these community hubs are under threat from gentrification. The show also includes Zepeda's own relief prints, which draw inspiration from the DIY ethos and artisanal craftsmanship they witnessed growing up in Barrio Logan.

  • The exhibition 'Print As Protest/Grafica En Resistencia' opens on Saturday, April 12, 2026 at the Chicano Park Museum & Cultural Center.
  • Zepeda was invited by the museum to curate the show and activate the space's print studio late last year, in 2025.

The players

Irie Zepeda

A multidisciplinary artist, printmaker, and the founder of Por La Mano Press y Arte, who is curating the 'Print As Protest/Grafica En Resistencia' exhibition at the Chicano Park Museum & Cultural Center.

Armando Cid

A member of the Royal Chicano Air Force who helped use print as a form of protest to support the Farm Workers Movement and the Chicano Rights Movement. The print studio at the Chicano Park Museum is dedicated to his legacy.

Royal Chicano Air Force

A Chicano artist collective that used printmaking and other art forms to support social movements, including the Farm Workers Movement and the Chicano Rights Movement.

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What they’re saying

“Art has always worked hand-in-hand with movements, so we're going to take from this long legacy of print as protest.”

— Irie Zepeda, Curator

“These are the spaces that they have gathered around through many generations. Now, they're being dismantled, so that legacy is what he's talking about; his ancestry and how they've come and landed in these places, and how he's inspired by them, but also worries that they will not be there for the future.”

— Irie Zepeda, Curator

What’s next

The exhibition 'Print As Protest/Grafica En Resistencia' will be on display at the Chicano Park Museum & Cultural Center through the end of 2026.

The takeaway

The 'Print As Protest' exhibition at the Chicano Park Museum highlights how printmaking can be a powerful tool for marginalized communities to share their stories, resist oppression, and preserve cultural legacies in the face of gentrification and displacement.