GCCC's Mercer Gallery to Host WSU Printmaking Exhibition in October
[Garden City, KS] September 29, 2025 -- Garden City Community College’s Mercer Gallery is pleased to present Wichita State University Printmaking Exhibition: Showcasing the Work of the Faculty and Current Graduate Students. This exhibition highlights the achievements of Wichita State University’s graduate printmaking students, Courtney Hancock, Aly Horn, and Aaron Maldonado, working under the mentorship of Marco Hernandez, Assistant Teaching Professor of Print Media and Foundations Coordinator at Wichita State University.
The Mercer Gallery will host the exhibition from October 3 through October 31, 2025. Regular gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The exhibition features a diverse selection of contemporary prints that reflect the innovation and artistic range of the participating students. Works on view span from highly illustrative and representational imagery to more abstract and expressive compositions, allowing audiences to engage with multiple approaches to the printmaking medium.
The public is invited to attend the opening reception on Thursday, October 2, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., with light refreshments provided, and the artists will be in attendance. A printmaking demonstration and artist talks will follow on Friday, October 3, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., in the art classrooms of the Joyce Fine Arts Building. Both events are free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to RSVP to Michael Knutson at michael.knutson@gcccks.edu.
The Wichita State University (WSU) Printmaking Exhibition features the work of faculty member Marco Hernandez alongside graduate students Courtney Hancock, Aly Horn, and Aaron Maldonado. Hernandez’s prints draw upon his Mexican heritage and immigrant experience, interweaving Mesoamerican symbols with contemporary cultural imagery to explore identity, memory, and tradition. His technically refined practice balances research with experimentation, producing compositions that speak to the complexities of bicultural experience while contributing to contemporary dialogues in print media.
The graduate students bring diverse approaches to the exhibition, reflecting the breadth of contemporary printmaking. Courtney Hancock investigates the relationships between humans and animals, reframing creatures often dismissed as pests while also reflecting on chronic illness through relief and photolithographic processes. Aly Horn creates immersive, mixed-media environments through the bear persona “Honey,” blending nostalgia, play, and trauma to critique identity and digital culture. Aaron Maldonado examines Mexican-American heritage through layered prints and mixed media, addressing themes of strength, fragility, trauma, and family. Together, their practices demonstrate the innovation and range of Wichita State’s printmaking program.
For further information, please get in touch with Gallery Director Michael Knutson
at michael.knutson@gcccks.edu. 
Marco Hernandez
Artist Biography: Marco Hernandez is a Mexican Artist/Printmaker who currently resides in Kansas. He received his Master of Fine Arts Degree from Kansas State University in 2015. After receiving his MFA degree, he was hired as an art instructor at Kansas State University, and he became the Printmaking area coordinator for one semester. In the fall of 2016, Mr. Hernandez was hired as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Print Media at Wichita State University. He is currently still teaching at Wichita State University, and his current position is Assistant Teaching Professor of Print Media and Foundations Coordinator.
Mr. Hernandez’s work has been exhibited in many national and international exhibitions which include the International Print Center New York, Delta National, Americas: Paperworks/All Media, and the Atlanta Print Biennial. His work has been exhibited in several countries including Mexico, Canada, Colombia, Poland, and Croatia and has received numerous awards including purchase awards, merit awards, best of show, and solo show invitations. Mr. Hernandez has also received two artist fellowships and has attended several artist residencies including the Vermont Studio Center, Zea Mays Printmaking, and Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts.
His art, deeply influenced by his cultural background, reflects his optimistic commitment to a lifelong career as both an artist and educator.
Artist Statement: My current body of work explores themes associated with contemporary Mexican and Mexican American cultures. I am inspired by my personal experiences growing up as a Mexican immigrant in California and the Midwest. Mexican and Mexican American symbols play a large role in my prints. The symbols span from ancient Mesoamerican imagery to contemporary popular cultural objects. Life experiences and a traditional Mexican upbringing have influenced my thoughts and beliefs; and ultimately have been inspirational to the imagery and meaning in my current work.
I immigrated with my family to the United States when I was very young. I was introduced to a new culture, language, and other struggles that would have to be overcome. I felt a loss of my cultural roots as I grew older. These and other experiences influenced my thoughts and beliefs about my unique personal identity. Being born in Mexico and raised in a traditional Mexican family has taught me to be proud and embrace my roots.
The art of printmaking provides me with the flexibility of technique and process necessary for my content development. Experimenting in the studio is as important as historical research in my search for content and ideas. The initial inspiration for my current work comes from several sources, including old black and white photographs depicting Mexican life (1910-1940), personal photographs taken from my trips to Mexico, and contemporary interpretations of Mexican events and traditions. With these in mind, I use printmaking to visually create powerful and interesting compositions with an emphasis on highly delicate printmaking techniques. Inspiration, technique, and the print medium may vary between prints but my curiosity, hard work ethic, and patience always remain constant.
Courtney Hancock
Artist Biography: Originally from Erie, Colorado, Courtney Hancock is a printmaker currently based in Wichita, Kansas. They are pursuing a graduate degree in printmaking at Wichita State University, where they are also an active member of the Tornado Alley Press print guild. They earned their BFA in printmaking from Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas.
Hancock’s work explores the lives of misunderstood creatures often labeled as "pests"—such as raccoons, pigeons, and snakes—with the goal of reframing public perception and offering a more empathetic, humanistic lens. Their practice is equally influenced by personal experiences living with Type 1 Diabetes, prompting a parallel body of work that reflects on the physical and emotional complexities of chronic illness.
Specializing in relief printmaking, Hancock uses the tactile and expressive qualities of the medium to highlight overlooked narratives in both the natural and human worlds.
Artist Statement: My work explores the interactions between humans and surrounding flora and fauna, informed by my experiences living in urban and suburban environments. I use imagery of plants and animals typical to our ecosystems and juxtapose them with elements that are distinctly human, such as garbage, tools, and weapons. The relationship between humanity and the natural world is a driving force in much of my work, contemplating my own relationship with it alongside how we share spaces with creatures who are out of our control. Through my work, I explore shared behaviors that plants and animals have with people, and what I can learn from paying attention to the things around me. My experiences with being around nature and growing up in an area where nature is prevalent in daily life fuel the curiosity to make work around natural imagery and themes intermingled with ideas from my environment. Part of this has been making work focusing on my immediate surroundings and how I inhabit my own spaces, comparing how the human environments impact me versus the natural environments.
The tactile and exploratory nature of printmaking processes, especially relief and photolithography, align with my working process toward art. The many variables that can go into pulling a good print along with the problem-solving skills required to keep the project rolling make the final work better than my initial sketches and ideas. It's through the processes of printmaking that I often start to see how the work should develop without forcing what I initially had in mind.
Aly Horn
Artist Biography: Aly Horn is a non-binary artist with an emphatic adoration of bears. A printmaker at heart and a mixed media artist in practice, they create work connected to the sense of human vulnerability and connection in conjunction with the new technological climate that drives modern society. Bears are shown within the work to depict the avatar/persona that is used online, named Honey. Where they project themself onto Honey but also encourage viewers to project themselves onto the bear character. Aly is originally from southeastern North Carolina and got their BA in Studio art from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. They are currently based in Wichita, Kansas as they are working to acquire their MFA at Wichita State University
Artist Statement: Howdy y’all! Welcome in! I am Honey, and I am an attendant here at the playground. We are so excited to have you here and hope you “Bear in Mind” the play care. The entry fee is free, but any damage done will incur a hefty invoice after the show. No phones or fancy computers are allowed; it’d rot your brain out! Be careful when you play with the toys to avoid hurting yourself or others. And always remember, this is only a safe place to land. The horrors persist outside.
Here at the Bear Sanctuary, the main goal is to reel in viewers and allow them to experience a physical and mental pull back into childhood. This is done by interacting with larger-than-life stuffed bears, coloring book pages, and more. Viewers can also create their own connections to those around them, bear or otherwise. They may also choose to follow closely with the adventures of our friend Honey in their activity book, alongside another cast of characters!
Be forewarned, the themes of this play care are daring to input more adult context into the mix. From glimpses into childhood trauma to real problems. We all face adulthood. This sanctuary is your false safe space if you delude yourself from its underlying themes. Feed into the sublime propaganda that gets you to forget the issues you face daily. Long for your days of yore when all you had to worry about was if your parents made food you liked for dinner or even getting back home before the streetlights came back on. Dare to play.
Aaron Maldonado
Artist Biography: Aaron Maldonado is a second-year MFA student in Printmaking at Wichita State University. He graduated in 2024 with a BFA in Studio Art from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. Originally from Troy, Texas, Aaron began his printmaking journey in his sophomore year of college and has since participated in print fairs, printmaking events, artist talks, and workshops to deepen his knowledge and skills in the medium.
His work, which combines printmaking and mixed media, explores themes related to his Mexican-American heritage, investigating experiences of his life and the subconscious. With themes dealing with the masculine and feminine, strength and fragility, within the context of identity. Aaron is dedicated to expanding his technical abilities and connecting with the broader printmaking community.
Artist Statement: Growing up in a Hispanic household, I walked the fine line between being born in Texas and holding tightly to my Mexican roots. My art speaks through two voices: the bold, strong exterior and the quiet, fragile soul beneath. Both carry memories, tender and painful wounds that hide in shadow or rise unexpectedly to the surface. Using varied techniques, I unravel stories of trauma, faith, machismo, family, and life’s harsh lessons. My work reflects the complex layers of identity and the lasting power of cultural heritage, while embracing the bittersweet love of family, those who have loved me fiercely and also caused me deep hurt.
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