Horacio Devoto (left) and Laura Youngbird (right)

The 2025 Full Color Printmaking Fellows are Laura Youngbird and Horacio Devoto. The year-long fellowship provides that artists with 12 months of studio access in Highpoint’s cooperative printshop, tuition-free enrollment in Highpoint classes, a stipend, along with exhibition, mentorship, and professional development opportunities.

Horacio and Laura were chosen in September 2024 by our guest panelists Russell Hamilton and Fawzia Khan. For Horacio, the year was rich with professional development. He received guidance from seasoned voices—Regan Golden-McNerney, Nicole Soukop, and David Barry—on refining presentation methods. He also attended private tours of some of the region’s most intellectually generative spaces: the Wangensteen Library at the University of Minnesota, the Print and Drawing Study Room at Mia, the Ways of Knowing exhibition at the Walker Art Center, and Giants at Mia. These experiences deepened Horacio’s contextual understanding, sharpened the conceptual edge of his practice, and enabled him to connect with artists from other Highpoint programs.

Laura channeled her energy into learning new techniques. Juggling teaching commitments and a long commute from outside of the Twin Cities meant she couldn’t always attend optional outings, but her mentorship was focused and hands-on. With support from Brian Wagner, Assistant Printer at Highpoint Editions, and artist-educator Jeremy Lundquist, she began to explore the intricacies of stone lithography. Laura’s mentorship was further enriched by a studio visit with recent McKnight Fellow Grace Sippy, who provided valuable insights into Laura’s work.

Both Horacio and Laura shared the results of their recent explorations in Highpoint’s winter and summer co-op exhibitions. This year’s fellowship is just the beginning for these two artists—one that promises continued collaboration, mentorship, and growth in the years to come.

I am thrilled to have this opportunity at Highpoint and the amazing mentors that I have had the opportunity to work with, including Grace Sippy.  

I have been working on a few lithograph stones trying to create interesting tusche washes. I started with a large stone. It looks great, but is darker than I had hopped. The amazing Brian Wagner helped me with the etching process. I am now working on two smaller stones. I have etched them twice and look forward to printing them soon, although they look a bit on the dark side as well. Crossing my fingers that they turn out, if not... I'm learning.

I look forward to meeting with Jeremy Lundquist who will share his expertise on tusche washes as well!

I've been working on a new series, which is very much influenced by my feelings about climate change, AI and uncertainty. It's an ambitious project that I probably would not have undertaken but for the fellowship. I'm particularly excited about the upcoming classes on photo litho with Judith -- it will be great to learn a new technique. The fellowship has been great in terms of outreach to others in the community -- I feel very supported and have definitely been able to grow as an artist.