Community Mentorship Program at Home Grown Vol. III

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Spudnik Press is excited to be a part of the creation of work for the brilliantly sprawling exhibition Home Grown Vol. III.

For the latest iteration of the Community Mentorship Program, Spudnik Press has partnered with the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art (UIMA) and Unpacked Mobile Gallery to immerse a new cohort of artists in the Risograph printing process. Moving away from traditional one-time workshops, this program focuses on deepening technical skills over time fostering long-term artistic growth. Over consecutive weekly sessions, taught by Alex Hohnsen, participating artists worked with eco-friendly soy-based inks on recycled paper, experimenting with the interplay of precision and spontaneity to translate their ideas into layered print editions.

The resulting Risograph works are fully integrated into Home Grown Vol. III, an exhibition exploring the deep entanglement between human and plant life. Curated by Lauren Iacoponi, Home Grown transforms the gallery space into an urban ecosystem of live plants and artwork rooted in bioregionalism, local ecology, and collective care. At Spudnik seven featured artists were able to channel those exact themes of environmental stewardship directly into a sustainable print medium.

Risograph works by: Aimée Beaubien, Christine Forni, Maven Kennedy, Tulika Ladsariya, Katelyn Patton, Monika Plioplyte, and Reina Sundara.

While developed in the print shop at Spudnik Press, the final works will be exhibited off-site as part of the Home Grown Vol. III exhibition and mobile tour, facilitated by Naomi Elson and Lauren Iacoponi of Unpacked Mobile Gallery.

Exhibition & Tour Schedule:

  • The Flagship Exhibition: On view at the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art (UIMA) from July 11 to September 6, 2026.
  • The Home Grown Tour: From Saturday, July 11 to Saturday, July 18, 2026, Unpacked Mobile Gallery will travel the exhibition directly to public parks, forest preserves, nonprofit spaces, and community gardens to reflect on the vital connection between humans, nature, and art.
  • July 16, 6-9 pm: Unpacked Mobile Gallery will be at Spudnik Press. 

This cross-organizational partnership between the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, Unpacked Mobile Gallery, and Spudnik Press was made possible through the Terra Foundation for American Art Community Engagement Grant awarded to UIMA. The project is also partially supported by an Individual Artists Program Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE).

About Home Grown Vol. III
July 11 – September 6, 2026
Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art: 2320 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
Curated by Lauren Iacoponi

Home Grown at the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art is an immersive exhibition exploring the deep entanglement between human and plant life, featuring Midwest artists working with natural pigments, dyes, plant reliefs, hand-pulled paper, and organic materials that include botanics, mycelia, and artist-made bioplastics. Home Grown serves as a green space within an urban environment, with thought-provoking, nature-focused work integrated into a landscape of live plants.

Home Grown Tour
Saturday, July 11 – Saturday, July 18
Click here for the schedule

Unpacked Mobile Gallery is traveling Home Grown to public parks, forest preserves, nonprofit spaces, and community gardens to reflect on the connection between humans, nature, and art.

Exhibiting Artists
Aimée Beaubien, Kris Casey, Christine Forni, Naomi-Hamlin Navis, Hillary Irene Johnson, Noelani Jones, Tulika Ladsariya, Jaclyn Mednicov, CV Peterson, SK Reed

Risograph Works
Aimée Beaubien, Christine Forni, Maven Kennedy, Tulika Ladsariya, Katelyn Patton, Monika Plioplyte, Reina Sundara 

About the Partners

Spudnik Press is a community printmaking studio where artists and makers come together to create, learn, and collaborate. Rooted in the belief that art should be democratic and empowering, Spudnik offers an affordable, welcoming space for printmakers of all levels — from seasoned professionals to first-time students. By sharing equipment, skills, and creative energy, members build something greater than any one artist could alone. Committed to accessibility and equity, Spudnik extends its reach through classes, exhibitions, free workshops, and community programming.

The Spudnik Press Program Mentor, Alex Hohnsen, is a Chicago-based artist, designer, and animator. They earned their undergraduate degree in Interdisciplinary Arts at the University of Illinois at Chicago and recently completed a Master’s in Animation and Motion Design at DePaul University, culminating in a solo exhibition titled Meditation on Creation and Destruction: Anxiety of a Shared Resource.

The Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art (UIMA) preserves and promotes contemporary art as a shared expression of the Ukrainian and American experience. UIMA develops, utilizes and encourages artistic talent through exhibitions, concerts, readings, lectures and films to serve the cultural needs of our community and city, and thereby strengthen cultural understanding and diversity. 

Unpacked Mobile Gallery provides accessible exhibitions, docent-led tours and workshops across the Midwest. Our mission includes museum and gallery accessibility; the importance of art as experience; and the relationship between institutions, society, and artists. Unpacked exhibitions expand free community art outreach and engagement programs with organizations such as Lubeznik Center for the Arts and the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art.

This project is partially supported by an Individual Artists Program Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. 

Programs at Spudnik Press are partially supported by grants from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, the Driehaus Foundation, and the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation. 

The exhibition is also made possible through the Terra Foundation for American Art Community Engagement Grant, awarded to the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art. This grant helped fund a partnership between the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, Unpacked Mobile Gallery, and Spudnik Press to create Risograph work as part of Home Grown.