UW–Madison alumni J. Leigh Garcia and Ericka Walker have been honored with 2023 awards from the Southern Graphics Council International (SGCI) for excellence in printmaking.

Garcia is the recipient of the Emerging Printmaker Award. Originally from Texas, Garcia earned her MFA from the School of Education’s Art Department in 2018. She now lives in Ohio and is an assistant professor of print media and photography at Kent State University. Garcia’s artist statement notes she is inspired by her “biracial identity and familial history” as well as major events in Texas’ history.

Walker is the recipient of the Mid-Career Printmaker Award. Currently residing in Nova Scotia, Canada, Walker received her BS from the Art Department in 2005, and now is an assistant professor with the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Her art focuses primarily on “vernacular histories of the graphic arts,” according to her bio on SGCI’s 2023 Awards website page.

SGCI award recipients are selected for their “outstanding promise in their contribution to the field of printmaking with demonstrated excellence in their own creative work.”