Images of Social Justice from the Segura Arts Studio

This exhibition illustrates the history of Segura Arts Studio’s published works and describes its mission of working with underrepresented artists. Joseph Segura founded the Segura Publishing Company in 1981, in Tempe, Arizona. The studio played a role in contemporary printmaking with an initial focus on collaboration with artist-printmakers and on the print process. This was followed by an emphasis on artists whose work has a political message. 

Segura was drawn to marginalized artists: women, African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans. The artworks in this exhibition reflect the profound social engagement of artists, such as Claudia Bernardi, Enrique Chagoya, Luis Jimenez, Sue Coe, and Faith Ringgold, who express concerns regarding abuse of power, culture wars, race, gender, and citizenship. 

The studio was renamed the Segura Arts Studio with its acquisition by the University of Notre Dame in 2013. This brought the mission to the South Bend and Notre Dame communities. The studio continues to invite activist artists, bringing their work to the community and emphasizing not only the importance of collaborative practice, but of activism and education.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.