Kristen T Ramirez was raised in Northern California where her father, the son of a Mexican immigrant, nurtured a Spanish/English bilingual and bicultural home. Ramirez’s art practices were intertwined and criss-crossed. She was both a studio artist who made discrete works and a public artist who toggled between commissions and socially engaged practices. Her work with Partners in Print dates back to 2004, in our days as the letterpress program at the School of Visual Concepts — where as Designer in Residence (2020) she helped PiP grow in to the community-building arts organization we are today.

Ramirez held a professional career in education and arts administration, championing aspiring artists and established artists alike. Ramirez taught in San Francisco’s public schools before moving to Seattle, where she taught at the University of Washington, Edmonds Community College, Pratt Fine Arts Center, Path with Art, and Cornish College of the Arts. She also managed public art projects for the City of Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture and Seattle’s Department of Transportation (SDOT). Ramirez received numerous awards throughout her career, including Individual Artist Awards from 4Culture, two Artist Trust GAP grants, and two Public Art Network Year-in-Review Awards.

ABOVE: Artist-activist Kristen T Ramirez in front of a wall of vibrant posters printed by fellow letterpress artists for Partners in Print, a collaborative project created during the 2020 Seattle Design Festival to amplify community voices amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic Lockdown.