Chicago printmakers return to museum for free annual festival
The 14th edition of Grabadolandia runs November 20 to 22, featuring workshops, a film screening, and a free exhibition at the National Museum of Mexican Art.
By Lily Carter ·
A collective of ten Latinx artists in Chicago is preparing for its 14th annual printmaking festival, an event designed to make the craft accessible to the public. Grabadolandia will take place from November 20 to 22, 2026. The event is organized by Instituto Gráfico de Chicago (IGC), a group that has hosted the festival on a Sunday morning in November since 2013.
The festival includes exhibitions, workshops, artist talks, and a print fair. Activities are spread across Pilsen and Bridgeport. The National Museum of Mexican Art (NMMA) serves as a primary venue. The event is free and open to all ages.
Ricardo Xavier Serment, a co-founder of IGC, recalled the first event in 2013. He noted that about 75 people attended that initial gathering. Serment said, “We should do this again.” The group formed in 2009 when Serment and coworkers José Luis Gutiérrez, Antonio Pazaran, and Vanessa A. Sanchez began meeting on weekends at the NMMA. They originally organized an international print portfolio to mark the 100th anniversary of the death of Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada. The group used a Kickstarter campaign to fundraise for that project and proposed the festival as an accompanying educational component.
The collective draws inspiration from Chicago’s history of Latinx printmaking and activism. Members cite René Arceo, Carlos Cortéz, and Hector Duarte as influences. Arceo, who ran the Taller Mexicano de Grabado, provided advice to the IGC. Current members include Gutiérrez, Pazaran, Serment, Atlan Arceo-Witzl, Carlos Barberena, Eric J. García, Eric Gasca, Salvador Jiménez-Flores, CHema Skandal!, and Alex Velázquez Brightbill. The group often incorporates political themes into their work. A 2009 collaborative linocut targeted Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Recent festivals have featured content related to immigration and Palestine.
Alex Velázquez Brightbill, whose work focuses on women immigrants, stated, “We’re all active in our communities. That’s what we bring to the IGC.” The festival schedule includes a Friday opening at Pilsen Arts & Community House. On Saturday, a lithography demonstration will occur at Hoofprint studio in Bridgeport. Printers Liz Born and Gabe Hoare will coach the presenting artist for weeks or months before the event. The schedule then moves to the NMMA for lectures and demos. An evening screening of the documentary Impresiones de Resistencia will take place at 18th Street Casa de Cultura. The festival concludes with a print fair at the museum on Sunday.
This year’s event coincides with a new exhibition at the NMMA titled “¡Tinta Ardiente!: Igniting Community Through Collective Action.” The exhibition runs through February 21, 2027. It is located at 1852 W. 19th St. and is free to the public. Barberena expressed concern about the future of printmaking, pointing to the closure of local studios and the rise of generative AI. Velázquez Brightbill viewed the engagement of young visitors as a sign of the collective’s impact, stating, “This is the goal for us, to inspire.”
Visitors can find more information at institutograficodechicago.org. The event is free for all ages. Hours and specific locations vary by day.
