Printmaker Allyn Guerra will be the Herrick District Library’s Maker-in- Residence this month and next. Her art will be on display on the library’s walls during her residency, and she will also two workshops, one for kids and one for teens and adults.
(Photo courtesy Herrick District Library)Storytelling has many forms. Printmaker Allyn Guerra shares stories through ink, and she plans to bring those stories to Herrick District Library this summer.
Guerra will serve as the library’s Maker-in-Residence through July and August in Groundworks at the Main Library, 300 S. River Ave.
Educated for five years at the National Autonomous University of Mexico City, Guerra’s work began with a solid grounding in theory. Her passion for printmaking evolved over time and before she knew it, what began in her basement studio grew into a professional atelier in the Tanglewood Studio of Grand Rapids.
Guerra’s first press was made from a washing machine wringer, created at a time when she did not think she would be able to sustain herself as a professional artist. A friend invited her to sell her work at events, which led her to enter a regional festival where she won a printmaking award.
Others were drawn to Guerra’s work, and she was asked to mentor high school students and teach classes at ArtWorks in Grand Rapids. Not long afterward, her studio Red Hydrant Press was invited to join the Tanglewood Collective.
“Sometimes there isn’t a straight line from where you thought you would be to where you end up,” Guerra said. “Sometimes the line is a zig-zag.”
Alynn looks forward to building on her experiences of both being mentored and mentoring others by serving as HDL’s maker this summer. She finds printmaking is expressive and easy to read, not as nuanced as some artistic mediums. Alynn's goal for her HDL residency is to introduce library users to a technique she considers both fun and approachable.
“The most expensive thing is your material,” Guerra said. “But that material lasts a long time. People will get introduced to printmaking at the library and will hopefully be inspired to continue creating prints at home.”
Guerra’s art will be featured on HDL’s walls during her residency, showcasing narratives inspired by nature and Mexican culture. Some of her work features serious stories such as climate change or genetic modification but even in dark subjects her work displays a sense of light and hope – a tension that creates dialog. Some stories are silly, such as skeletons playing with a dog or riding a bike.
In addition to viewing her finished art, library users will have the chance to watch Guerra at work in six different drop-in sessions between July 12 and Aug. 20 with dates and times listed at herrickdl.org. She will also offer two printmaking workshops, one for kids on July 24 at 2 p.m. and the other for adults and teens on Aug. 7 at 5:30 p.m. Each workshop is two hours long and both require advance registration at herrickdl.org/events.
––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
https://legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available
