Founded in 1993 by Austin artist Sam Coronado, the Serie Project is a nonprofit organization that offers free printmaking facilities, training and housing for 8 to 15 artists per year through a one-week Artist In Residence program. During the residency, each artist produces an edition of 50 prints in a collaborative workshop setting with a Master Printer.
Serie Project has fostered over 250 artists to produce a collection of serigraphs. The artists participating in the 2013 Serie XX Artist in Residence Program include Farley Bookout, Margarita Cabrera, Paul del Bosque, Ana Teresa Fernandez, Sandra C. Fernandez, Nahum Flores, Rigoberto A. Gonzalez, Salvador Lopez, Oscar Magallanes, Michael Marshall, Stephanie Mercado, Brian Phillips, Patricia Tinajero, George Yepes, and Ernesto Yerena. The first artist begins printing the last week of January, and the residencies will continue through July.
Coronado established the Serie Project in East Austin with the hope to create a place where established and emerging artists of all ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds felt welcome. He envisioned a supportive environment where artists could learn the serigraphy technique through a one-on-one apprenticeship, and where affordable printmaking services and fine art prints could be made available to the community. Last November, the Austin Visual Arts Association recognized Coronado with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Since its founding, Serie Project has relied on city grants for a majority of its funding, but, with cuts in arts funding, is looking for more grassroots support, launching a new membership program this month that will allow members of the community to become financial supporters of the Serie Project’s work directly.