Born and raised in South Korea, she came to the United States in 2015 to obtain her master of fine arts from the\u00a0State University of New York at Buffalo<\/a>. She knew she would always become a teacher, but in the art of printmaking, she found her joy.<\/p>\n Before moving to Rochester in 2019, she cofounded the independent printmaking studio\u00a0Mirabo Press<\/a>\u00a0and served as an adjunct professor at SUNY Buffalo.<\/p>\n An internationally renowned artist, Shin\u2019s work is a statement on the interdependence of society\u2019s constructed systems, including manufacturing, production, and consumption. Her installations are powerful conversation-starters that ask viewers to examine all facets\u2014big and small, economic and societal\u2014of these systems. \u201cI respect so many things, and I appreciate the small things that are not really little,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n According to the nonprofit group\u00a0Stop AAPI Hate, nearly 11,000 hate incidents targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders were reported between March 19, 2020, and December 31, 2021<\/a>. Following the Atlanta shooting, a weight of fear took a heavy toll on Shin. A fear compounded by not being able to travel and see her family in Korea during the pandemic.<\/p>\n \u201cIt made me cry every time I watched the news about an attack on an Asian,\u201d says Shin. Channeling her desire to act and a need to connect with others, she produced a handful of screenprints with the message: \u201cUse Your Voice #StopAsianHate.\u201d<\/p>\n That message resonated\u2014with friends and allies spreading the message and asking to buy the prints. A campaign was born.<\/p>\n Supporters can either make a direct donation to organizations supporting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States, and then Shin sends them a print, or they could buy the print directly from Shin, who makes a donation to the organizations.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are people doing good in the world, and I hope people know that,\u201d says Shin.<\/p>\n Since its inception last year, the campaign has raised more than $3,000 and sent to organizations like Stop Asian American Pacific Islander Hate, Advancing Justice Asian Law Caucus, and Asian American Leadership Delegation.<\/p>\n Thanks to the help of volunteer translators, the prints are now available in about 20 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Burmese, English, German, Italian, and Spanish.<\/p>\n In late winter of this year, the Rochester Contemporary Art Center<\/a> presented an exhibition, A Change Is Coming<\/em><\/a>,<\/em> which featured Shin\u2019s Use Your Voice #StopAsianHate<\/em> print campaign, complementing other contemporary artists who use their print-based work to respond to concerns about equity and sustainability. In addition, the gallery organized printmaking workshops, during which Shin encouraged attendees to post their freshly made screen prints throughout their neighborhoods and communities.<\/p>\n Shin\u2019s printmaking goes back to her high school days in Korea, and she wants to share her love for the art form with the world by revealing the process in a \u201cfun and contemporary way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMany think it\u2019s very old-fashioned or requires a lot of special equipment, which is true. But I wanted to introduce it so people won\u2019t be afraid of the medium,\u201d Shin says.<\/p>\n In addition to the Use Your Voice #StopAsianHate<\/em> screen prints, Shin makes versions with a technique called blind embossing, which involves using laser-cut custom acrylic sheets and pressing paper into the frame to create an ink-free design.<\/p>\n Considered the \u201ccontemporary art\u201d of the European Renaissance, printmaking throughout the 16th century was at the height of its impact. Shin explains that in the traditional method of printmaking called intaglio, a design is engraved onto a plate made of copper or zinc or other material, and then an acid is applied to make the image. But working with the substance requires a special tank. Fortunately, there is a laser cutter at the Sage Art Center<\/a>\u2014the hub of the University\u2019s undergraduate studio art program\u2014which can be used to engrave the acrylic sheets that act as plates. \u201cAcrylic is also more economical,\u201d says Shin.<\/p>\n And these days, her students can create drawings and patterns for their stencils digitally, which makes it simple to drop those files into the laser cutter.<\/p>\n A master of her craft, Shin produced a video showing 16th-century printmaking techniques, including etching, woodcut, and the engraving process, giving additional context to the Memorial Art Gallery<\/a>\u2019s recent exhibition\u00a0Renaissance Impressions: Sixteenth-Century Master Prints from the Kirk Edward Long Collection<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\nArt working against hate<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Printmaking as enjoyable and \u2018contemporary\u2019\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n