Gabi Estrada (left) and Whitney Terrill (right)
Congratulations to the Full Color Print Fellows: Gabi Estrada and Whitney Terrill
We are sending a warm welcome and congratulations to Gabi Estrada and Whitney Terrill as the new Full Color Print Fellows 2023-24 at Highpoint Center for Printmaking. This yearlong fellowship will provide the artists with access to Highpoint’s cooperative print studio, learning opportunities through Highpoint classes and individual instruction, professional development and mentorship, a monetary award, exhibition opportunities, and more.
Gabi Estrada (they/them) is a Mexican-American printmaker, muralist, and arts educator based in Minneapolis, MN. Gabi's personal artistic practice is rooted in identity and storytelling, celebrating the memory and honoring the existence of their ancestors and elders. They believe in the power that art has to facilitate healing and community building, which they aim to prioritize in their artistic work and pedagogy. Beyond work, they enjoy cooking food for people they love, biking among the trees, and cuddling their cat, TajÃn.
While a fellow, Gabi will explore combining various print techniques and media. They said, "The majority of my work has been portraits centering femininity and matrilineality, but I am interested in reflecting on the men of my family as well, exploring their influence on my identity formation.”
Whitney Terrill (she/her) is a Minnesota artist focusing primarily on printmaking, photography, and painting. In her work, she addresses topics important to her, such as environmental justice and African heritage. Whitney also enjoys engaging in public art, especially murals, to raise awareness about environmental justice and to facilitate community meals and engagement for placemaking and placekeeping.
Whitney received her undergraduate degree from Hampton University (VA) and an executive certificate in conservation and environmental sustainability from Columbia University (NY) and in social impact strategy from the University of Pennsylvania (PA).
During the fellowship, Whitney hopes to complete work inspired by a recent residency she completed in June supported by the Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery and Belwin Nature Conservancy. She says, "The Full Color Fellowship gives me full permission and support to learn additional print techniques or strengthen my skills. It is the encouragement with practical mentorship and training that I need to create additional work to support my long-term goals as an artist.”
Highpoint would like to thank the panelists Teréz Iacovino and Tia-Simone Gardner, who carefully reviewed the applications, made their decisions, and generously compiled feedback for all the applicants.
The Full Color Print Fellowship Program at Highpoint was developed with a steering committee to eliminate barriers to printmaking studio access for Minnesota artists from racial and ethnic communities that have been underrepresented within the cooperative printshop.
Find more information: highpointprintmaking.org/full-color-fellowship
Welcoming the Teaching Artist Learning Community
Highpoint’s Teaching Artist Learning Community is a paid program designed for early-career Minnesota-based BIPOC artists who are interested in growing their teaching practice in printmaking. The program aims to encourage teaching artists to develop an expansive and community-centered approach to printmaking instruction through a learning community model. Over a 9-week period this fall, artists will gain skills in the technical, pedagogical, and professional aspects of being a teaching artist and then will lead a workshop at Highpoint Center for Printmaking next spring.
2023-24 artists include Constanza Carballo, Zamara Cuyún, Boniat Ephrem, Lynda Grafito, Meher Khan, and Whitney Terrill.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts
Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.