Self Help Graphics & Art
A Los Angeles community arts center and printmaking organization central to Chicano and Latino artistic production.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Self Help Graphics & Art is a community arts center in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California, established in 1970 by Franciscan nun and artist Karen Boccalero together with Chicano artists including Carlos Bueno, Antonio Ibáñez, and Frank Hernández. The organization developed from a small garage-based printmaking operation into one of the most important institutions associated with the Chicano art movement in Southern California. Its work combines artistic production, public education, cultural organizing, exhibitions, performance, and community-based celebration. The organization’s founding purpose was both artistic and social: to promote local artists, make graphic-art techniques accessible to residents, and use art as a means of expression and social change in East Los Angeles. Its early activities included batik and silkscreen workshops, exhibitions, and instruction for emerging artists. The first exhibition by the founding artists took place in 1971 at El Mercado, an East Los Angeles shopping center. In 1973, the group adopted the name Self Help Graphics & Art and moved into a space on Brooklyn Avenue in Boyle Heights. Support from the Order of the Sisters of St. Francis and later public and philanthropic grants allowed the organization to expand its facilities and teaching programs. Self Help became especially influential through printmaking. Its workshops and later Experimental Screenprint Atelier gave artists access to equipment, technical expertise, and collaborative production methods that were difficult to obtain elsewhere. The resulting prints addressed Chicano identity, community displacement, racism, AIDS, the 1992 Los Angeles riots, the Virgin of Guadalupe, Sor Juana, gentrification, and other social and political subjects. The organization worked with artists and collectives including Los Four, Asco, Barbara Carrasco, the East Los Streetscapers, and Shizu Saldamando, while also training and presenting many less-established artists. The center is best known for its annual Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, program. Self Help’s first U.S. celebration was held in 1974, helping establish the holiday as a major public expression of Mexican American and Chicano cultural identity in California. The program has included processions, altars, ofrendas, papel picado, printmaking workshops, exhibitions, music, theater, and performances. It has also provided a vehicle for political remembrance, including memorials to victims of war and political violence. As attendance increased, the event moved in 2009 from the organization’s parking lot to the East Los Angeles Civic Center. Self Help has also operated education and outreach programs. Its Barrio Mobile Art Studio, launched in 1974, brought supplies and instruction in photography, batik, sculpture, puppetry, and filmmaking to schools and neighborhoods in East Los Angeles. Although the mobile program was phased out in 1985, it became a model for other community arts initiatives. The organization has additionally developed international exhibitions and collaborations, including the touring Chicano Expressions exhibition and Day of the Dead activities with Glasgow Print Studio. The organization experienced a serious institutional crisis in 2005. A financial crisis, building-repair needs, safety concerns, and uncertainty surrounding the ownership of its long-time facility led to a temporary closure and staff dismissals in June of that year. Community and artist pressure helped preserve the organization, which later relocated to 1300 East First Street in 2011. In April 2018, Self Help acquired that Boyle Heights headquarters, strengthening its long-term presence in the Eastside. It remains an active cultural institution focused on Chicano, Latino, and community-centered art, printmaking, education, and public cultural programming.
History
Self Help Graphics & Art began in 1970 when Karen Boccalero and a group of Chicano artists produced prints in an East Los Angeles garage. The founders sought to promote community arts, support local artists, and make creative practice an instrument of social change. Their first public exhibition was held in 1971 at El Mercado. In 1973, the organization adopted its present name and moved into a Boyle Heights office building at 2111 Brooklyn Avenue. A $10,000 contribution from the Order of the Sisters of St. Francis helped establish the space, which expanded from approximately 2,000 to 9,000 square feet the following year with support from the Campaign for Human Development. The center’s inaugural formal activity was a batik and silkscreen workshop ending in a group exhibition. This established a continuing model in which artists learned techniques through collective, low-cost production. California Arts Council funding enabled Self Help to hire instructors, while later Title VI support under the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act helped sustain personnel and programming between 1975 and 1983. In 1974, the organization launched the Barrio Mobile Art Studio, a van carrying art supplies and instructors to schools and neighborhoods in Boyle Heights, City Terrace, and Lincoln Heights. The program offered photography, batik, sculpture, puppetry, and filmmaking and continued until it was phased out in 1985. Self Help’s cultural significance grew through its printmaking programs and its role in the Chicano art movement. In 1979, it moved to a larger building at Cesar Chavez Avenue and Gage Street, formerly associated with the Catholic Youth Organization. The building contained a gallery known as Galería Otra Vez, a print room, artist studios, offices, and storage. Murals, mosaics, ceramic work, and a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe made the site an important visual landmark. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which owned the property, offered a highly favorable renewable lease, reflecting the role of Catholic institutions in the organization’s early survival. In 1982, Self Help established its Experimental Screenprint Atelier. The program emphasized fine-art serigraphy, a more technically demanding form of screenprinting than the organization’s earlier low-cost workshop model. Master printers including Stephen Rose, Oscar Duardo, and José Alpuche helped artists create technically ambitious editions. Atelier projects addressed themes such as displacement, gentrification, AIDS, the Virgin of Guadalupe, the 1992 Los Angeles riots, and Sor Juana. The Maestras Atelier, first held in 1999, created a dedicated setting for women artists and included artists such as Yreina Cervantez, Barbara Carrasco, and Laura E. Alvarez. Día de los Muertos became Self Help’s most visible public program. The first celebration took place in 1974, during a period when Chicano activists and artists were reclaiming Indigenous and Mexican American cultural identity. The event combined a procession from Evergreen Cemetery with altars, marigolds, workshops, exhibitions, music, and theater. It also became a space for debate over how the holiday should be interpreted. Artists associated with Asco used the 1974 event for an irreverent performance challenging standardized or folkloric representations of Día de los Muertos. Over subsequent decades, Self Help’s celebrations expanded and sometimes addressed political violence, war, migration, and the lives of Latino communities. By 2009, attendance had outgrown the organization’s parking lot, prompting relocation to the East Los Angeles Civic Center. Self Help extended its influence beyond Los Angeles through Chicano Expressions, an internationally touring exhibition funded by the United States Information Agency. The 1993 tour presented work by twenty artists in South Africa, Colombia, Honduras, Germany, France, and Spain. In 1996, Glasgow Print Studio invited Self Help to collaborate on Día de los Muertos workshops and celebrations in Scotland. These projects connected East Los Angeles artists with international printmaking and community-arts networks. Boccalero served as executive director until her death in 1997, when Tomás Benítez succeeded her. Benítez stepped down in March 2005 during a publicly reported financial crisis. In June of that year, the organization closed temporarily after building repairs, safety concerns, liability issues, and uncertainty over the property’s ownership compounded its financial difficulties. Fundraisers, including a benefit concert by Ozomatli, were not sufficient to address all repair costs. The Archdiocese eventually sold the building, and attempts by Self Help to purchase it were unsuccessful. The organization secured another site and moved to 1300 East First Street in March 2011. In April 2018, Self Help acquired the Boyle Heights headquarters for $3.625 million. The purchase was supported by City of Los Angeles Community Reinvestment Act bond funds, the city’s Economic and Workforce Development Office, Los Angeles County, the Weingart Foundation, the California Community Foundation, and private donors. Ownership of the building gave the organization a stronger basis for long-term cultural programming and planned renovation. Self Help Graphics & Art continues to operate as a community arts institution centered on printmaking, Chicano and Latino artistic production, education, exhibitions, and public cultural traditions.
- 2021
48th Día de los Muertos exhibition
[1]Everything is Connected: Land, Body, and Cosmos presents eighteen visual and sound artists.
- 2018
Headquarters acquired
[1]Self Help purchases its Boyle Heights headquarters, reinforcing its long-term Eastside presence.
- 2011
Move to 1300 East First Street
[1]Self Help relocates to its current Boyle Heights site.
- 2009
Día de los Muertos event moves to East Los Angeles Civic Center
[1]The annual celebration leaves the organization’s parking lot after growing beyond the site’s capacity.
- 1993
Chicano Expressions tours internationally
[1]A twenty-artist exhibition travels to venues in Africa, Latin America, and Europe.
- 1982
Experimental Screenprint Atelier established
[1]The organization expands into fine-art serigraphy and collaborative limited-edition print production.
- 1979
Move to Cesar Chavez Avenue and Gage Street
[1]Self Help relocates to a larger former Catholic Youth Organization building.
- 1974
First U.S. Día de los Muertos celebration
[1]Self Help launches the public celebration that becomes its signature cultural program.
- 1974
Barrio Mobile Art Studio begins
[1]A mobile arts van begins delivering instruction and materials to schools and East Los Angeles neighborhoods.
- 1973
Self Help Graphics & Art name adopted
[1]The organization adopts its present name and establishes a Boyle Heights facility.
Products and positioning
A community-rooted cultural institution that uses printmaking, exhibitions, education, and public celebration to support Chicano and Latino artistic expression and social engagement.
Fine-art editions · 1970
Screenprints and serigraphs
Self Help’s printmaking practice produces collaborative and artist-led editions using screenprinting and fine-art serigraphy. Works have addressed Chicano identity, displacement, gentrification, AIDS, religious imagery, political violence, and community memory. The editions function both as collectable artworks and as vehicles for accessible public cultural expression.
Artist workshop · 1982
Experimental Screenprint Atelier
Established in 1982, the Atelier provides artists with technical support and master-printer expertise for ambitious serigraphic projects. Workshops commonly focus on a theme and have included projects concerning the Virgin of Guadalupe, Sor Juana, AIDS, urban displacement, and the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
Cultural event and education · 1974
Día de los Muertos programs
The annual program combines processions, altars, ofrendas, papel picado, printmaking, exhibitions, music, theater, and community workshops. It has become one of Los Angeles’s major public Día de los Muertos celebrations and a platform for cultural remembrance and political reflection.
Mobile arts education · 1974
Barrio Mobile Art Studio
A van-based outreach program that brought materials and instruction in photography, batik, sculpture, puppetry, and filmmaking to schools and neighborhoods. The program served participants of different ages and was phased out in 1985.
Marketing campaigns
- 1999Maestras Atelier
United States
A dedicated printmaking workshop for women artists, including Yreina Cervantez, Barbara Carrasco, and Laura E. Alvarez.
Outcome. The initiative expanded Self Help’s Atelier model and highlighted women’s contributions to Chicano and community-based art.
- 1993Chicano Expressions
South Africa · Colombia · Honduras · Germany · France · Spain
An internationally touring exhibition of work by twenty Chicano artists, funded by the United States Information Agency.
Outcome. The tour broadened international awareness of Chicano art and enabled artists and staff to build cross-border cultural connections.
- 1974Día de los Muertos Celebration
Los Angeles
Self Help established an annual public Día de los Muertos program involving a cemetery procession, altars, workshops, exhibitions, performances, and community remembrance.
Outcome. The celebration became a signature Los Angeles cultural event and was later moved to the East Los Angeles Civic Center as participation expanded.
Brand decisions
2018
Acquisition of Boyle Heights headquartersOtherBackground
After years of fundraising and community engagement, Self Help pursued permanent control of its operating site.
Action taken
The organization acquired 1300 East First Street for $3.625 million, supported by public, philanthropic, foundation, and private financing.
Aftermath
Ownership improved the organization’s prospects for permanence and future cultural-center renovation.
Headquarters acquisition price. $3.625 million (April 2018)
2011
Relocation to 1300 East First StreetStrategyBackground
The former building was sold by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and attempts to purchase it were unsuccessful.
Action taken
The organization moved to a new Boyle Heights facility and transferred its Our Lady of Guadalupe mosaic statue.
Aftermath
The relocation maintained Self Help’s presence in the Eastside and created the basis for later headquarters acquisition.
2005
Temporary closure and organizational reorganizationStrategyBackground
A financial crisis, serious building-repair needs, safety concerns, and questions about property ownership made continued operation at the former site difficult.
Action taken
The facility was temporarily closed and staff were dismissed while artists, community members, and administrators sought funding and a path to reopen.
Aftermath
Self Help ultimately secured a new site and moved to 1300 East First Street in 2011.
Recent events
- 2021
48th Día de los Muertos exhibition presents Everything is Connected: Land, Body, and Cosmos[1]
Other
The exhibition featured eighteen visual and sound artists and was curated by Miyo Stevens-Gandara.
- 2018
Self Help Graphics acquires its headquarters[1]
Other
The organization acquired its Boyle Heights headquarters, an important step toward institutional permanence and future cultural-center renovation.
- 2011
Self Help Graphics relocates to Boyle Heights headquarters[1]
Other
After losing access to its former building, the organization moved to 1300 East First Street in Boyle Heights and transferred its Our Lady of Guadalupe mosaic statue to the new site.
- 2005
Self Help Graphics closes amid financial and building crisis[1]
Other
The organization temporarily locked its doors and dismissed staff after a financial crisis became public and building repairs raised safety, liability, and funding concerns.
- 2005
Community efforts support the continuation of Self Help Graphics[1]
Other
Artists and community members organized meetings and fundraising efforts after the closure to preserve the institution and address concerns about funding and organizational transparency.
Sources1 sources
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