This story first appeared in Sight Lines. An excerpt can be viewed below. To read the full story click here.
An an artist, educator, and activist, the late Sam Coronado believed in the power of art to shape a community. Coronado’s lifelong commitment to empowering Latinos to express their experiences through art emerged from his involvement with the Chicano Civil Rights Movement.
The lasting symbol of Coronado’s passionate work is his print shop and community space, Coronado Studio. First located on Austin’s east side, and later in the Montopolis neighborhood, Coronado Studio brought together artists, students, and audiences through the collaborative art of printmaking for more than two decades.
In the years since Coronado’s passing in 2013, the studio closed its doors, halting both its longstanding community arts programming and its groundbreaking Serie Project, a screenprinting residency that hosted over 250 artists. Coronado Studio remained empty until December 2020, when the artists Pepe Coronado (no family relation to Sam) and Jonathan Rebolloso moved in.