Three Perpich Students Selected for 2022/2023 Access/Print Teen Mentorship Program at Highpoint Center for Printmaking

Perpich instructors Cameron Browne (Visual Arts) and Derek Debrauske (Science) visit with Aiyana Beaulieu (Visual Arts 2024) and Lee Greve (Visual Arts 2023) at the ACCESS/PRINT Annual Student Exhibition opening reception on Friday, May 19. Photo credit: Highpoint Center for Printmaking

June 22, 2023

Three Perpich students were selected for the 2022/2023 ACCESS/PRINT Teen Mentorship Program at Highpoint Center for Printmaking. Lee Greve (Visual Arts 2023) and Aiyana Beaulieu (Visual Arts 2024) participated in the Fall, 2022 program and Catrielle Barnett (Visual Arts 2023) participated in the Spring, 2023 program. Over a dozen Perpich students have been selected for this fantastic experience in the past six years.

The ACCESS/PRINT Annual Student Exhibition opening reception was on Friday, May 19. The exhibition showcased artwork created by teen artists who participated in the Access/Print program, including Lee, Aiyana, and Catrielle, as well as LOOK/SEE, a showcase of youth artwork from Franklin Middle School and works from the Creative Clean Water Stewardship project, generously supported by a Hennepin County Green Partners Environmental Education Grant.

Lee Greve chose to depict a series of extinct animals who were victims of the Holocene Extinction. Greve intentionally used a monotype technique to present these animals, in order to reflect the impermanence of animal species.

Aiyana Beaulieu wanted to draw from their Anishinaabe culture and depict the interconnectedness of humanity and nature. Through drypoint intaglio and monotype techniques, Beaulieu depicts a portrait of an Inuit woman surrounded by animals native to Turtle Island, rock formations, and constellations.

“The ACCESS/PRINT class was full of students who quickly fell in love with printmaking and were very eager to experiment with different concepts, techniques, and media,” says the ACCESS/PRINT coordinator and teacher, Gabi Estrada. “These students were all brilliant young artists who were incredibly thoughtful in the conception of their projects and creative with the freedom they had to explore different print techniques. Everyone in this class was so inspiring and it was an immense pleasure getting to know them and watching their ideas come to fruition!”

ACCESS/PRINT is a teen mentorship program that supports creative youth with over 70 hours of studio time, printmaking tutorials, technical assistance, and support as they work to create a body of work. Through individual mentorship, peer critique, and supervised work sessions, young artists develop printmaking skills and gain confidence in their art-making. The 2022/2023 ACCESS/PRINT exhibition includes work by Tay Wright, Anastasia Kol-Balfour, Lee Greve, Aiyana Beaulieu, Mia Lambert, Sterling Rouleau, CJ Alexander, Catrielle Barnett, Zara Ridenour, and Emma Zauhar.

Congratulations, Lee, Aiyana, and Catrielle!