March 6 – June 5
Reception: Friday, March 6, 5–7pm
Location: Latino Arts Gallery, 1028 S 9th St, Milwaukee, WI, Monday-Friday, 10:30am-7:30pm
A veces, stories emerge in the quiet gestures of everyday life, al moler el maíz en el metate, o los tomates y chiles en el molcajete. The same volcanic stone that carries the weight of generations, hands that ground, crushed, and blended long before mine. These repeated movements remind me that memory lives in the body, in how we cook, work, and tend to what sustains us. Ahí se guardan y se pasan nuestras memorias e historias.
In this exhibition, I investigate how cultural practices are transmitted and kept alive through embodied rituals, using symbols and motifs as entry points into larger personal and collective narratives. Rooted in printmaking and drawing from Mesoamerican traditions and familial stories, my practice traces the gestures of the kitchen and of labor, repeating movements of carving, inking, pressing, mixing, blending, and layering as a way of carrying memory forward. Motifs such as molcajetes, mariposas, nopales, and maíz function as visual anchors, connecting intimate memories to broader cultural narratives.
In my work, I often return to the growing and cultivation of maíz: sowing the seeds, harvesting the corn, peeling back the husk, drying the kernels, nixtamalizing with cal, and grinding the grain into masa. The labor-intensive act of making tortillas as our mothers, abuelas, and antepasados did becomes a living bridge between the past and the present, an everyday ritual that keeps tradition alive by repeating the same gestures, leaning into the same stone, and working with the same grains our ancestors used. In these movements, we honor their knowledge, affirm their presence in our daily lives, and embody their stories en nuestras manos by carrying them forward.
Each piece becomes part of a contemporary codex, an unfolding archive of gestures, acts, and stories que se guardan y se pasan across generations. Through this work, I honor ancestral knowledge and participate in its ongoing transmission through the rituals we continue to practice.
Christie Tirado is a Mexican American interdisciplinary artist and educator from Yakima, Washington, currently residing in Madison, Wisconsin. As the daughter of immigrants, she navigates the complexities of her heritage, drawing inspiration from the rich tradition of relief block printing. Her work explores the impact of migration on culture, identity, traditions, memories, and histories, with a particular focus on labor-related migration within Mexican diasporas. Deeply rooted in personal familial histories, her practice reflects the resilience and lived experiences of her own family while also grabando both personal and collective narratives. Through cultural exploration and artistic practice, she sheds light on the layered narratives of migration and cultural (in)visibility.
The Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibitions season continues with Christie Tirado’s exhibit Cosechando Historias. The MFA Thesis Exhibitions mark the culmination of a three-year degree program that emphasizes development of a rigorous studio art practice under the supervision of a faculty guidance committee. Exploring an interdisciplinary approach to art making, as well as coursework in art history and related fields, artists cultivate professional practices that facilitate a sustainable career in the arts. Join us in celebrating our Class of 2026 UW-Madison Graduate professionals!