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This workshop series introduces participants to the artistic language of relief color printmaking while exploring the symbolic universe of the amoxtli/Codex Borgia, one of the greatest pictorial manuscripts of ancient Mesoamerica. Participants will learn both the practical techniques of color printmaking and the philosophical foundations of the amoxtli/codex tradition. Throughout the workshop, students will create an original contemporary amoxtli/codex, interpreting present-day life through symbols, narrative sequences, memory, family, community, ecology, contemporary mythology, ritual and personal experience. This workshop series combines historical knowledge, studio production, creative research and personal reflection. Each participant will develop original imagery and assemble a finished book. Each session combines discussion with demonstrations and guided studio work. Sánchez will provide individual feedback as participants develop their imagery, refine their printing techniques and bring their books together. Organized by the California Center for the Arts Museum in collaboration with José Hugo Sánchez. Who This Workshop Is For This series is for adults and teens ages 15 and older interested in printmaking, artist books and visual storytelling. Instruction begins with tool safety and introductory relief-printing techniques before progressing to multicolor printing and book assembly. The sessions build on one another, so participants should plan to attend the complete series. What You’ll Learn and Make Throughout the course, you will: Explore how images and symbols communicate meaning in the Codex Borgia and develop your own imagery in response. Transfer drawings to linoleum and use carving tools safely. Mix printing inks and use registration methods to align successive layers of color. Organize individual prints into a connected visual narrative. Assemble and finish an original pictorial book. You’ll leave with a contemporary amoxtli of your own design and practical experience in relief color printmaking. Weekly Schedule October 18 | Introduction to Pictorial Storytelling and Relief Printmaking Explore the Codex Borgia, develop ideas for your pictorial book and learn introductory linoleum carving techniques, including tool safety and creating texture. October 25 | Creation Stories and Personal Imagery Explore creation stories and the natural world while developing your own visual vocabulary. Transfer drawings to linoleum, carve your first image and produce a black-ink proof. November 1 | Ritual and the Introduction of Color Explore ritual imagery while refining your designs. Learn ink mixing and registration techniques before printing your first color layers. November 8 | Calendars and Layered Color Investigate cycles, time and calendar imagery. Experiment with transparent inks, overlapping colors and multicolor registration. November 15 | Dreams and Symbolic Imagery Explore dreams, identity and symbolic imagery through multiblock printing, texture and repeated visual forms. November 22 | Contemporary Stories and Book Development Develop contemporary narratives inspired by personal and community experiences. Begin arranging your prints into a connected pictorial book. November 29 | No Class December 6 | Printing and Assembling the Amoxtli Complete your remaining prints, refine your visual narrative and learn book assembly, binding and finishing techniques. December 13 | Finishing and Sharing Your Work Complete and document your finished book. Share your work with the group and reflect on the creative process. About José Hugo Sánchez José Hugo Sánchez is a multidisciplinary artist and educator whose practice centers on monumental printmaking and cultural exchange between Mexico and the United States. Drawing from Mesoamerican codices, contemporary Chicano visual culture and mass media, he develops a visual language he describes as “pop-multiculture.” His exhibition history includes Polinización at the Museo Nacional de la Estampa in Mexico City and Umbra: New Prints for a Dark Age, selected by Alison Saar at International Print Center New York. Centro Cultural Tijuana presented a retrospective marking thirty years of his artistic practice in 2014. His work has also been exhibited at the San Diego Art Institute and internationally. Sánchez brings extensive experience teaching printmaking and monumental image-making. His teaching residencies have included San Diego Mesa College, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Academia de las Artes de San Alejandro in Havana and Centro de las Artes de Baja California in Mexicali. He also founded La Huella, a printmaking research workshop at Centro Cultural Tijuana. Materials and Registration Dates: Sundays, October 18–December 13, 2026 | 12:30–4:30 PM Location: Museum Art Lab Cost: $400 per participant for eight sessions, including materials Registration Deadline: October 16, 2026 The registration fee includes all required materials, including linoleum blocks, carving tools, printing inks, paper and printing supplies. The eight-session series provides 32 hours of instruction. Enrollment is limited to 20 participants. A minimum of 15 registrations is required by October 16, 2026. If minimum enrollment is not met, the fall series will be rescheduled for January 2027. Registered participants will be notified and may choose to transfer their registration or receive a full refund. Questions For program questions or accommodation requests, contact: Belen Torralba Museum Education Coordinator btorralba@artcenter.org