Miguel Limon
& Payton College Prep

Miguel Limon & Payton College Prep

“Ink to Paper”

Miguel Limón – CPSLives Resident 2023-24

In collaboration with students at Walter Payton College Prep

 

Young people have a vital role in driving cultural shifts and social movements. By focusing on Chicago’s rich history of print media and the vibrant Zine and self-publishing community, I aim to engage young individuals in researching, documenting, and interpreting collective memory. Through archival interventions, photography, and printmaking, students may create meaningful print media such as posters, zines, flyers, and oral histories to express their values, support cultural preservation, raise awareness, and promote dialogue within their community.

Working alongside students, I will explore public domain archives, uncovering the impactful use of print media in historical social movements specific to Chicago, including the Black Panthers, the Young Lords, the Chicago Defender, and the Chicago Women’s Graphic Collective. Additionally, students will embark on photography journeys to capture meaningful spaces that reflect their worldviews and communal experiences. Leveraging screen-printing and risography techniques, they may then transform their research findings, photographs, and personal narratives into thoughtful and visually compelling print media.

One of Payton’s art teachers, Pat Guizzetti, is a faculty sponsor for various clubs, including the Art Club and the Queer Student Alliance, which I was actively involved in during my time at school. Recently, students have expressed concerns about a recent change implemented by the school administration: the reduction of gender-neutral bathrooms. These bathrooms were initially opened in response to the efforts of teenagers during my time in the club. To address this issue, I will co-create flyers and posters informed by the graphics of previous movements. The hope is to scaffold an entry point into printing-making so students can take action in- and outside of the school community. To do this, I will conduct a brief risograph workshop in collaboration with the Queer Student Alliance, aiming to generate interest and establish a curriculum for poster design and printing geared toward teenagers.

 

Over the course of my year at Payton, I intend to foster connections with other faculty members to identify additional student groups that could benefit from access to the risograph printer. By the end of the year, there will be a substantial collection of prints that I will scan and repurpose to create a series of larger mixed-media artworks.

 

Students may participate in research, artmaking, and community-building. School administrators may participate in regular communication and collaboration, incorporating their expertise into decision-making. Additionally, there is an opportunity for community forums or workshops catered to parents, guardians, and community members. By applying ink to paper, young individuals empower themselves and establish effective methods of sharing and expressing their values. The resulting print media will celebrate Chicago’s rich printmaking heritage and act as catalysts for cultural preservation, awareness, and dialogue within the community. Exhibitions and public engagements will provide a broader platform for students to share their work, ensuring their voices resonate beyond the classroom.