2020 Senior Exhibition Artists 2020 Senior Exhibition Artists: Grechel Rosado

Biography

Grechel Rosado is a professional fine artist from Fitchburg, Massachusetts. She is ambitious and constantly seeking out the next opportunity to translate life experiences into artistic outlets. Although she enjoys creating through various mediums and art forms, you can always find Grechel designing and printing her artwork in a relief, etching, and or silkscreen studio.

In 2020, She obtained a BFA in Visual Design-Illustration with a minor in Printmaking at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. Grechel is currently exploring how art is incorporated in social movements and how it helps to promote social justice. Through a meticulous approach to printmaking, Grechel aspires to leave her impression within the art community and the world at large.

Statement

“Mi Isla de Diáspora”/ “My Island of Diaspora”
The exploration of my identity, specifically as a Puerto Rican woman, has become a central theme in my artwork. Although I was born in Puerto Rico, I have lived a large portion of my life in the United States and as a result, have always struggled to find my place within my own culture. Americanization and loss of ethnic identity is a common thread associated to the “Puerto Rican Diaspora.” Since Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States, it has created a system of constant migration to and from the island and the mainland U.S. Nearly all of Puerto Rico’s history has been centered on it’s colonization and how racial and socioeconomic tensions have continuously increased and worsened.

As I further reconnect with that aspect of my identity, I have realized how much power and impact I can hold for both myself and for my people. In my artistic process, I tend to blend my printmaking abilities into vibrant and symbolic illustrations. For my senior thesis project, I express this exploration as a body of work that focuses on Puerto Rico in terms of identity, it’s culture, and how art can be used as a form of resistance and solidarity as it pertains to the issues happening there. I want to educate and empower both the people of Puerto Rico and those in the United States to continue to be resilient in their fight against injustice and to advocate for the end of colonization of the island. I am immensely proud of where I come from and celebrate the rich culture Puerto Rico has to offer. I understand that this project is only a small significant push for change, however my fight does not end here. If there is any hope for the future of Puerto Rico, it will depend upon not only of the Puerto Ricans on the island but all of us in the diaspora and the United States.

Contact

Email: gmrprints97@gmail.com
Website: GMRPrints.com
Instagram: @gmrprints

Slideshow

1. Vengeance, 2019, single color screenprint on Rives BFK, 11" x 17"
2. Boricua, 2019, woodblock relief print on Maza, 2' x 3'
3. United, 2019, 7-color screenprint on Rives BFK, 11" x 17"
4. United, 2019, single-color screenprint, black cotton long sleeve shirt
5. Decolonize, 2019, 9-color screenprint on Rives BFK, 8" x 17"
6. AOC, 4-color screenprint on Rives BFK
7. Protest!, 2020, linoleum relief print, 5.5 " x 8.5"
8. Latinas Are Powerful, 2020, collaged screenprints with watercolor application, 23.5" x 20.5"
9. Our Lady of Divine Providence, 2020, relief print on collaged 2-color screenprint with watercolor application on Rives BFK, 11" x 17"
10. Our Lady of Divine Providence, 2020, white prayer candle with adhered relief print, 2" x 8"
11. Our Lady of Divine Providence (detail), 2020, white prayer candle with adhered relief print, 2" x 8"