Gallery at Truax

Exhibition Schedule

3/18/2024 - 4/12/2024

Christie Tirado

Gráfica Del Campo: Cultivando una Nación /
Gráfica Del Campo: Cultivating a Nation

Opening Reception: Thursday, March 21st, 4:00 pm -6:00 pm

Christie Tirado is a Mexican-American interdisciplinary artist and educator based out of Yakima, WA, currently residing in Madison, WI, who navigates the intricate tapestry of her heritage as the daughter of Mexican immigrants. Inspired by the rich tradition of Mexican relief block printing, her art explores the impact of migration on culture, identity, traditions, memories, and the notion of home, focusing on labor-related migration within Mexican diasporas. Christie's fusion of research and ethnography illuminates the complex narratives woven into migration stories and cultural (in)visibility.

By intentionally bringing together diverse realms and using printmaking as a tool for visibility, she merges aesthetics and politics, infusing the personal with the social. Tirado earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington in Seattle, WA, and her Master in Teaching from Heritage University in Toppenish, WA. Presently, she is pursuing a Master in Fine arts in printmaking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Her accolades include the 2020 Larry Sommers Fellowship through Seattle Print Arts, the 2020 Golden Apple Award for innovative teaching in Washington State, and is currently an Education Graduate Fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her artwork has been exhibited and collected nationally, and, featured in museums and galleries such as: Davidson Galleries in Seattle Washington, San Francisco State University in California, Sonoma State University in California, The Sun Valley Museum of Art in Idaho, and La Productora Gráfica del Bosque in Oaxaca, Mexico, among others.

Additionally, her work has been featured in prominent news outlets and magazines nationwide, including High Country News, ProPublica, and Crosscut. Previously, Christie served as an elementary and middle school Art Teacher in the Yakima Valley, in Washington State for eight years.