“Artists in the Library”
Part 1
Alebrijes
It’s officially happening! I’m excited to host a Paper-Mache Alebrijes Sculpture Drop-In Studio at the Toronto Public Library, Main Street Branch.
Create your own fantastical hybrid creature over 6 drop-in sessions. No registration required, and it’s completely free!
Wednesdays, 6:00–7:30 p.m.
September 9, 16, 23 & October 7, 14, 21
Main Street Branch
Basement Program Room
Participants will have the opportunity to display their creations in a community exhibition in December.
“See dates & details”
“Artists in the Library”
Part 2
Printmaking at the Library
Following the Alebrijes Sculpture Studio, I’ll continue exploring Mexican artistic traditions through linocut printmaking, inspired by the work of José Guadalupe Posada.
Participants will learn the basics of carving, inking and printing their own linocuts.
Saturdays, 2:00–4:00 p.m.
October 17, 24, 31
November 7, 14, 21, 28
December 5
Main Street Branch
Free program, no registration required.
“See dates & details”
Mentorship in CDMX with Master Leonardo Linares
Thanks to the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, I had two transformative professional development experiences in 2025.
I spent two weeks in Mexico City learning from Master Leonardo Linares, grandson of Pedro Linares, the creator of the Alebrijes. He generously shared traditional cartonería techniques and insights into his family’s artistic legacy.
During this mentorship, I learned the traditional, old-fashioned process of creating alebrijes using cardboard and papier-mâché, following techniques passed down through the Linares family.
The experience was deeply enriching and gave me a stronger connection to the history, craftsmanship, and cultural roots behind this important Mexican art form.
A woman and creator
Ana Gabriela Lopez Castro is a Mexican visual and community artist based in Toronto’s East End. Her artistic journey began in 2000 with photography and printmaking, where she discovered art as a powerful language for expression, storytelling, and connection.
Deeply rooted in her Mexican heritage, her practice embraces traditional cartonería (papier-mâché), printmaking, and Mexican folk art while bringing these traditions into a contemporary and personal context. She is especially known for her colourful, imaginative alebrijes, as well as Catrinas, masks, piñatas, and sculptural works. Nature, identity, womanhood, memory, and community are recurring sources of inspiration in her work.
Ana Gabriela holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Visual Arts from the Faculty of Arts and Design at UNAM in Mexico City and an Advanced Diploma in Graphic Design from Centennial College in Toronto.
Since 2013, she has collaborated with MUSE Arts on community arts initiatives throughout Toronto. In 2019, she founded Emotionart Collective, creating accessible and intergenerational arts experiences within Toronto communities. What began as an initiative to address social isolation among seniors evolved into a broader practice centred on bringing people together through creativity.
For Ana Gabriela, art is not only something to create—it is a way to inspire, express, connect, and transform.
“My body of work is inspired by Mexican folk art, colourful, diverse and rich”.
