This workshop is presented in partnership by the gallery at the Institute for the Humanities, the U-M Library, and the Arts Initiative.

No prior experience required, all materials will be provided.

Artist Narsiso Martinez (b. 1977, Oaxaca, Mexico) will lead a workshop on painting and drawing portraits on salvaged materials such as cardboard and paper bags. As in Martinez’s own work, the use of these humble materials honors both the impermanence and the significance of our everyday lives and the people within them. Participants are encouraged to bring a photo reference for their portrait.

Martinez’s drawings and mixed media installations often feature multi-figure compositions set amidst agricultural landscapes. Drawing from his own experience as a farmworker, Martinez focuses on the people performing the essential labor required to fill produce sections and restaurant kitchens across the country. His portraits of farmworkers are rendered in paint, drawing, and sculpture on discarded produce boxes collected from grocery stores.

This workshop is offered in support of the exhibition "Narsiso Martinez: Best Used By". The exhibition highlights timely issues related to worker invisibility and anonymity. As part of his project, Martinez will be researching archives related to regional agricultural history and engaging with local food service workers.

Experience Narsiso’s work at his exhibition "Narsiso Martinez: Best Used By" in the Gallery at the Institute for the Humanities, on view from November 13 through December 19.