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At our poster printmaking workshop, IDEATE!, community members came together to explore how creativity can be a powerful tool for expression, activism, and collective action. Led by local artists Octavia Ink and Jessa Challa, the workshop invited participants to learn the fundamentals of printmaking while reflecting on the role art has played in social movements throughout history.

We started the workshop by discussing how posters have been used as tools of communication and resistance in labor movements, civil rights campaigns, and community organizing. Check out the slides here. Participants saw how both artists and everyday people used printmaking to share information, bring people together, and push for change.

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Next, everyone learned the basics of poster design and printmaking. Using special block-print stamps created by Octavia Ink, along with ink pads and hand-printing, people tried techniques like repetition and ghosting, layering images, symbols, and words to create their own posters. They learned how using color, repetition, and layout can make a message stronger and connect with others. Each poster showcased the creator’s values, experiences, and ideas, contributing to a broader conversation about community, justice, and change.

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The room buzzed with creativity and conversation. By the end of the workshop, everyone left with a completed poster or two, and an understanding of how art can support movements for justice and liberation.

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At Urban Core Collective, we see creativity as a key part of organizing. It helps us build community power, dream up new ideas, and make change together. This workshop reminded us that art can help us envision the world we want and give us ways to act now.

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Come to our next workshop: DISRUPT!

Our next event is the DISRUPT! Zine and Collage Workshop, happening on Wednesday, July 22nd. It will be led by local artists Octavia Ink and Jessa Challa. In DISRUPT!, we’ll explore how zines and collage can challenge oppressive narratives, reclaim our stories, and imagine more just and equitable futures. Participants will learn how to make zines and collages, creating their own mixed-media art inspired by community, resistance, and radical imagination. We hope you’ll join us as we keep exploring how art, activism, and organizing come together. Register here!

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