In March 2026, Athentikos partnered with Semillas de Cambio to lead a deeply meaningful Lino Cut Printmaking & Leaf Printing Workshop for eight young women ages 17–18 in Guazacapán, Santa Rosa, Guatemala.
Led by Rosie Messeder with assistant Melanie Garcia, the workshop guided participants through the themes I AM ART, I AM BROKEN, I AM RESTORED, and I AM CONNECTED using nature-inspired printmaking, storytelling, and collaborative art-making.
The workshop began quietly. Eight shy teenagers gathered around the table before venturing outside to collect leaves from the surrounding plants and trees. As they printed the leaves with green ink and carefully observed the intricate details of veins, textures, and colors, conversations centered around the beauty and intentionality of God’s creation—and the truth that each person is also uniquely designed with beauty and purpose.
Participants then carved personal linoleum stamps representing their personalities, interests, or stories. One young woman chose the logo of a band that had helped her through long hospital stays—a cross rising from a coffin, symbolizing hope of resurrection. As the girls worked, they encouraged one another through the difficulty and physical challenge of carving the stamps.
The atmosphere transformed throughout the first session. What began with nervous silence ended with laughter, cheering, and growing confidence as the girls layered colorful tissue paper landscapes representing places of peace and joy.
The second session, centered on I AM BROKEN, brought an emotional shift. Rosie asked the participants to pour water over their carefully constructed tissue paper landscapes, forcing the colors to blur and blend beyond their control. The moment created tension and hesitation, opening space for conversations about pain, uncertainty, and the brokenness people experience in life.
The linoleum carving process also became symbolic. After carving their personal stamps, participants passed them to others who carefully removed a small piece, representing the hurt others can cause. The stamps were then passed again as each girl prayed over another participant and her brokenness. Through prayer, vulnerability, and art, the workshop created space for healing and empathy.
During I AM RESTORED, participants transformed the altered and layered artwork into something entirely new. Using colors from their original landscapes, they created painted frames and layered cut leaf prints into jungle-like compositions full of depth and beauty. Melanie shared her personal story of how God can use seasons of brokenness to create something new, helping connect the artistic process with the deeper spiritual themes of restoration.
The final theme, I AM CONNECTED, came alive as many participants chose to stamp each other’s personal symbols around their frames, visually representing community, support, and shared stories. By the end of the workshop, the girls proudly celebrated each completed piece—not just as artwork, but as reflections of their journeys.
What unfolded over those days was far more than a printmaking class. Through carving, tearing, blending, praying, and rebuilding, these young women experienced creativity as a pathway toward vulnerability, restoration, and connection with both God and one another.
