SELF-HELP GRAPHICS AND ART, INC.

What SELF-HELP GRAPHICS AND ART, INC. does

Self Help Graphics & Art, Inc. (SHG) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization founded in 1973 in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, with a 22-person staff. The organization provides professional printmaking services, exhibitions, youth arts programming, and community cultural programming targeted at Chicanx/Latinx artists and the broader Boyle Heights/Eastside LA community. Its core technical capability is serigraph (screen) printmaking, operated through a Professional Printmaking Program led by master printer Dewey Tafoya, with an Open Printmaking Studio for artist access and an annual Día de los Muertos commemorative print series running since 1974.

The organization's commercial and programmatic offerings span five streams: limited-edition print sales ($75–$2,500 per print) via e-commerce across collections spanning 2000–present; an Exhibition Print Program lending curated suites of prints to museums and cultural institutions for contributions of $2,500–$10,000 for up to six months; facility venue rental at $100–$145 per hour for events and productions; fee-based programs and workshops; and tax-deductible donations supporting the operating budget and a capital campaign. Distribution channels include direct-to-consumer e-commerce, institutional consignment, satellite programming via the Barrio Mobile Art Studio across LA County, and an Exhibition Print Program whose institutional clients have included LACMA, Fowler Museum at UCLA, Musée d'Aquitaine (Bordeaux), The Print Center (Philadelphia), Casa 0101, Paley Center, and the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center.

SHG is currently in a transitional operating state: its Boyle Heights headquarters at 1300 East 1st Street has been closed to the public since late 2024 for a major renovation (permits approved early January 2025, expected reopening 2026), with revenue-generating venue rental paused and operations shifted to satellite programming across LA County. The organization is governed as an independent nonprofit with a Board of Directors and no parent company or institutional investment ownership.

Name

SELF-HELP GRAPHICS AND ART, INC.

Legal name

Self Help Graphics & Art, Inc.

Website

https://selfhelpgraphics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Self Help Graphics & Art is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1973 in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, providing professional serigraph printmaking services, exhibitions, youth arts programming, and community programming for Chicanx/Latinx artists and the surrounding LA community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Printing (32312)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Visual Arts Instruction (Drawing, Painting, Sculpture) (EDAMAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Visual Arts (Drawing, Painting, Illustration) (EDAAAGAA)

Keywords

• Chicanx arts nonprofit
• Screen printmaking studio
• Community arts programming
• Exhibition print lending
• Youth art education

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Print Sales: Sale of serigraph prints created through the Professional Printmaking Program. Prints range from $75 to $2,500 depending on artist and edition.
2. Venue Rental: Hourly rental of facility for events, meetings, and film/TV shoots. Fees are $100/hour Monday-Thursday and $145/hour Friday-Sunday, plus staffing and AV fees.
3. Exhibition Print Program: Lending/consignment program where organizations rent suites of prints for contributions of $2,500-$10,000 for up to six months
4. Donations and Support: Tax-deductible donations as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Capital campaign for building renovation.
5. Programs and Workshops: Various programs including workshops, youth programs, and special events that may have associated fees

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Self Help Graphics & Art is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization that provides professional printmaking studio services for Chicanx/Latinx artists, including screen print/serigraph production with a master printer. It runs an Exhibition Print Program that lends curated print suites to museums and cultural institutions, sells limited-edition prints ($75–$2,500), operates youth development programs (SOY Artista, Youth Artivism Internship), delivers outreach via the Barrio Mobile Art Studio, and rents its Boyle Heights facility for events and productions.

Product overview

Self Help Graphics & Art is a nonprofit arts organization offering a portfolio of printmaking programs and community arts services. The core offerings include the Professional Printmaking Program (providing studio access and master printer services for artists to create serigraphs), the Exhibition Print Program (consignment/lending of prints to venues), and the annual Día de los Muertos Commemorative Print series. Supporting programs include youth development (SOY Artista summer program, Youth Artivism Internship), the Barrio Mobile Art Studio (mobile outreach), and Open Printmaking Studio access. The organization also operates venue rental services and sells prints from its extensive collection through various categories spanning 2000-present and large format works.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Professional Printmaking Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Six SHG artists featured in 'America Today' exhibition at The Print Center, Philadelphia (April-July 2026)

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• The Print Center, PhiladelphiaflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2026Hosting 'America Today: Voices in Contemporary Print' exhibition featuring six SHG artists, exploring connections between printmaking and civic life, supported by Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.
• Eastside LEADScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of community members and eight community-based organizations working together to ensure urban development is guided by community needs. SHG Youth Artivism Internship addresses housing justice and displacement issues in partnership with Eastside LEADS.
• Fowler Museum at UCLAminorOthersExhibition venue that has hosted SHG print collections, providing broad audiences access to Chicanx art.
• Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)minorOthersExhibition venue that has hosted SHG prints, showcasing Chicanx art to national and international audiences.
• Musée d'Aquitaine, Bordeaux, FranceminorOthersInternational exhibition venue that has hosted SHG prints, extending reach to international audiences.
• Casa 0101minorOthersLocal exhibition partner that has hosted SHG prints in the Boyle Heights community.
• L.A. Gay and Lesbian CenterminorOthersExhibition venue that has hosted SHG prints, providing access to diverse audiences.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Armory Center for the Arts: Pasadena, California community arts center offering exhibitions, education, and artist programs. Comparable to SHG as a Southern California arts nonprofit combining community programming and artist support, though visual arts rather than printmaking-specific.
• Inner-City Arts: Los Angeles nonprofit providing arts education to underserved youth. Comparable to SHG in offering youth arts programming and community engagement in LA, though without SHG's printmaking specialization or Chicanx/Latinx mission.

Broad incumbents

• The Print Center: Philadelphia nonprofit institution dedicated to print and photography. A current SHG exhibition partner hosting 'America Today' in 2026; broader in scope (covers photography and contemporary print broadly) but operates a comparable gallery and exhibition lending model.

Direct peers

• Anchor Graphics: Chicago-based nonprofit printmaking center offering studio access, editions, and education. Operates a similar printmaking-focused nonprofit model to SHG's Professional Printmaking Program, though without SHG's specific Chicanx cultural anchor.
• Highpoint Center for Printmaking: Minneapolis nonprofit printmaking center with studio access, exhibitions, and education programs. Directly comparable to SHG in combining professional printmaking services with public exhibitions and community engagement.
• El Museo del Barrio: New York City museum focused on Latinx and Caribbean art and culture. Directly comparable to SHG in centering Latinx visual arts, exhibitions, and youth/community programming, though larger in scale and located in East Harlem.
• National Museum of Mexican Art: Chicago-based nonprofit museum dedicated to Mexican and Mexican-American art and culture. Directly comparable to SHG in its Chicanx/Latinx arts mission, exhibitions, and community programming, though operating at significantly larger institutional scale.
• Mexic-Arte Museum: Austin, Texas nonprofit museum focused on Mexican-American and Latino art and culture. Closely mirrors SHG's combination of exhibitions, community programs, and culturally-rooted visual arts mission.
• Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop: New York City nonprofit printmaking workshop providing studio access, editions, and education. Directly comparable to SHG's Professional Printmaking Program in offering professional printmaking services and artist development.

Emerging players

• Self Help Graphics Móvil (Grafik Mobile Arts): Taller de Gráfico Popular-style mobile printmaking collectives that bring printmaking workshops into community settings. Conceptually comparable to SHG's Barrio Mobile Art Studio model of mobile printmaking outreach serving Chicanx/Latinx communities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/shg1970
• Facebookfacebook.com/selfhelpgraphics
• Instagraminstagram.com/shg1970
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/self-help-graphics-and-art-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SELF-HELP GRAPHICS AND ART, INC.