Texas Tech School of Art welcomed internationally renowned artist Delita Martin for a residency, live demonstrations and a featured panel during Southern Graphics Council International.
Texas Tech University’s School of Art welcomed internationally recognized artist Delita
Martin for a residency that connected studio practice, student learning and community
engagement. Hosted in collaboration with Southern Graphics Council International (SGCI)
and the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts, the initiative highlighted the
strength of Texas Tech’s printmaking program and its role within a broader creative
network.
“The most special part of Delita being here was the energy it created around printmaking,”
said School of Art Director Monika Meler. “It was exciting to see so many people across
the School of Art engaged with the program.”
Supported by the Lott Endowment, Martin was in residence March 3–6, developing a mixed media print while inviting students into her process. Through demonstrations and discussion, she explored the integration of relief printing, photolithography and screen printing, approaching each not as separate techniques, but as layered components of a unified visual language. She also shared insight into sustaining a professional studio practice, offering students a candid look at the realities of building a career as a working artist.
“It was great to see her creative concepts and technical skill come together in her process,” said Faith Eleby, working on her MFA in Art with a printmaking concentration. “She walked us through every step and took the time to answer questions beyond the demonstrations. As a student, it was especially meaningful to work with a Black printmaker whose work I’ve followed for years. That kind of representation and access made the experience even more impactful.”
The residency culminated in Martin’s participation in the Lubbock Creative Synergy
panel on March 7 at LHUCA’s Firehouse Theatre. The conversation brought together artists,
curators and educators to examine how printmaking fosters access to the arts and strengthens
community connections.
Together, the residency and panel offered students and the Lubbock community a rare
opportunity to engage directly with a working artist, experiencing both the technical
process and the professional practice behind contemporary printmaking.
Pictured: Artwork by Delita Martin: Purple Moon, 2025, acrylic, charcoal, pastel,
40”x60”
Pictured: Delita Martin
About the Artist
Delita Martin is a mixed media printmaker and founder of Black Box Press Studio. Her work combines traditional print processes with hand embellishment to explore identity, history and narrative.
Pictured: Delita Martin reveals a newly pulled print during her residency at Texas
Tech’s School of Art, where students observed each stage of her multi-process technique
Pictured: Delita Martin speaks during the Lubbock Creative Synergy panel at the Louise
Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts (LHUCA), joining regional and national leaders
in printmaking to discuss community engagement through the arts.
