I’m Irie Zepeda, a printmaker, curator, and workshop facilitator, and founder of Por La Mano Press.
I was born and raised in Southeast San Diego. I come from a lineage of makers. My grandparents worked with their hands, por sus manos. My grandfather fixed and built what was needed. My grandmother made tortillas a mano and worked the land. My mom drew. Creativity flowed through my family, even if it wasn’t labeled as art.

I grew up surrounded by murals, but without access to art education or materials, I didn’t yet know what I was capable of. It wasn’t until I pursued my BFA that I began to recognize my own potential. That time became a remembering—a return to tending to my inner child through making.

Through my journey, I came to know that I wanted to create spaces that center skill-sharing and provide access to resources and tools to explore self-expression and individual potential. My work has always been rooted in community, especially with youth and underserved spaces.

Over time, I came to understand art as more than making; it became a tool for healing, reflection, and growth. Through both the process and the finished work, I began to see how creativity supported my own healing and helped me understand my personal transformation. This led me to pursue a Master’s in Art Therapy and continues to inform how I create spaces that center care, reflection, and connection.
Por La Mano Press holds all of this. It’s a space for skill-sharing, storytelling, and gathering. Everything I create is an invitation for my community to remember, to rejoice, and to see the best parts of themselves reflected.