About the Project
Sister Karen Boccalero & Self Help Graphics & Art are important models of community, art, education and valuable Los Angeles history. This project is dedicated to the gathering of information on the history of Self-Help Graphics (SHG) and Sister Karen Boccalero and was conducted over 2010 with the Studio for Southern California History and students from Dr. Angela Vergara's HIST 110 and HIST 390 courses at CSULA. After conducting different surveys of the neighborhood and participating in oral histories at the Studio for Southern California History, students explored what they valued in this place.
Interviews were conducted usually at the Studio for Southern California History.
Staff at the Studio also gathered existing publications and articles to fill out its knowledge of this important institution. This extensive but not exhaustive list is available under resources, as our links to the oral histories. Jeremy Rosenberg worked with Tomas Benitez and Reina Alejandra Prado Saldivar in creating an essay and timeline for this project after culling the interviews and articles gathered.
Self Help Graphics & Art celebrated a move to a new location in April 2011 at 1300 East First Street in Boyle Heights. Please support this amazing institution by visiting it and telling other people about its importance.
If you wish to be interviewed about Sister Karen Boccalero or Self Help Graphics as part of this project, please contact the Studio for Southern California History at 213 - 229 - 8890 or by emailing thesocalstudio@gmail.com.