As the title of his exhibit currently on display at Bethel indicates, Marco Hernandez Guillen is using his art to explore his heritage.
“Reclaiming My Roots” opened Jan. 20 in the Regier Gallery in Luyken Fine Arts Center and closes with an artist reception on Feb. 12.
Regular gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and Sundays, 2-4 p.m. There is no admission charge.
Hernandez will visit campus on Feb. 5 to work with students in the Printmaking class.
“My current body of work explores themes associated with contemporary Mexican and Mexican-American cultures,” Hernandez says in his artist statement.
He immigrated to the United States with his family as a very young child, and now draws inspiration from those years growing up as a Mexican immigrant in California and the Midwest.
“Mexican and Mexican-American symbols play a large role in my prints, from ancient Mesoamerican imagery to contemporary popular cultural objects,” he says.
“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.”
He says that 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 Hernandez’s current work came from sources such as old black-and-white photographs depicting Mexican life (1910-40), personal photographs from his own trips to Mexico, and contemporary interpretations of Mexican events and traditions.
After earning his MFA from Kansas State University in 2015, Hernandez was hired as an art instructor at K-State, where he was the Printmaking Area coordinator for one semester.
In fall 2016, he moved to Wichita State University as visiting assistant professor of print media, and he is now assistant teaching professor of print media, and Foundations coordinator and associate director at WSU.
Hernandez’s work has been exhibited in national and international exhibitions in Mexico, Canada, Colombia, Poland and Croatia, as well as the United States, and has received numerous awards including purchase awards, merit awards, Best of Show and solo show invitations.
He has also received two artist fellowships and attended artist residencies including at the Vermont Studio Center, Johnson; Zea Mays Printmaking, Florence, Mass.; and Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Bethel is a four-year liberal arts college founded in 1887 and is the oldest Mennonite college in North America. Bethel is ranked #25 in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Regional College Midwest for 2026. Bethel was the only Kansas college or university to be named a Truth, Community Healing and Transformation (TCHT) Campus Center, in 2021. For more information, see www.bethelks.edu
“Serpiente de Fuego (The Fire Serpent),” monotype and paper lithography, 2023, by Marco Hernandez Guillen
