Art Hazelwood

Art Hazelwood (1961, Concord, MA) is a printmaker, bookmaker, painter, muralist, and educator. As an artist, instigator, and impresario, he has curated dozens of exhibitions and organized and promoted the artwork of under-recognized artists. For over 25 years, Art Hazelwood has created politically charged prints, working with dozens of organizations, from arts organizations to unions to grassroots movements. He taught printmaking at San Francisco State University and the San Francisco Art Institute, where he was involved in union bargaining for adjunct faculty and was elected Shop Steward. In 2021, UC Santa Cruz Special Collections established an archive of approximately 300 of his political prints.

Over the years, Hazelwood has organized historical and contemporary exhibitions at a variety of venues, from museums to immigrant rights centers. He has worked with homeless rights groups, creating posters, graphics, traveling exhibitions, street placards and brought together diverse artists to lend an artistic voice to the fight for rights for poor and homeless people. He has taught at San Quentin State Prison and brought together artists working on the inside with political actions on the outside. He has written books about art and homeless rights, and he is a life-long member of the Great Tortilla Conspiracy and the San Francisco Poster Syndicate. It is through this mix of activism, cultural advocacy, and artistic creation that a full artistic life is lived. Hazelwood uses relief print and screenprint primarily, sometimes in combination. The tradition of dark political allegory and cutting satire is at the heart of his work.