Desiree Aspiras

Historically, letterpress has often served as a medium for resistance, allowing people to assert their No against injustice and to affirm their identities and values through the printed word. In this workshop, participants will engage No as a generative practice. Through guided prompts, this workshop will explore what it means to approach No as a practice of discernment and alignment in our artmaking and lives. Participants will sense into the possibilities of No - no as refusal, no as protection, no as a space-maker, and no as a threshold.

Participants will leave this workshop with a print representing a personal or creative No, and reflection prompts they can bring into their own life and art.

Desiree Aspiras is a therapist and educator whose work bridges creative, contemplative, and justice-centered approaches. In mental health, she integrates mindful, creative, and socioculturally-attuned modalities to support self-awareness, healing, and growth. In her teaching, she draws from contemplative and critical pedagogy to foster reflection, relational learning, and liberatory inquiry. Her creative practice includes letterpress, poetry, printmaking, book arts, and collage. She is also an Acosta Institute Fellow, and the founder of Printmakers Against Racism and Deep Breath Press.

deepbreathpress.com