The Artists
The Artists
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Lastest News
Lastest News
Mean Girls Collab with Rochester Civic Theatre
We are partnering with Rochester Civic Theatre to create several mural/art installations for three of their 75th season line up. First, is Mean Girls which opens Oct. 18, 2026!
We have started our third Minnesota mural!
We have officailly started our third mural in Minnesota. We are partnering with The Table in Rochester for a mural downtown. Our first weekend, we had dozens of volunteers show up to help us with our doodle grid and now the mural is well underway! We will have more updates as the mural process continutes.
We have finished our second Minnesota mural!
There's something in the air in summer of 2026. Maybe it's the sun is a little brighter or the world is feeling a little more connected. We're capturing that good energy we're feeling in Albert Lea in a mural just by the water tower on Fountain Street.
Learn all about the new mural in downtown Albert Lea!
Rochester Art Center | Total Arts Day Camp 2026
Shelby's teaching at Rochester Art Center's TADC this summer!
What if art isn't to sell, to put in galleries, or to exhibit in museaums, but, rather, is a tool for humans to tap into the present moment and preserve it through creative expression?
Shelby teaches how biology affects our art and, through understanding our brains, how we can create enduring memories by tapping into our feelings and our selves by capturing what we love through art.
Latest Content
Latest Content
Present-Maxxing
Present-Maxxing
By Shelby Arias Castanon
2026 arrived with many things, to say the least, but one thing it has brought along is a linguistic morsel called “friction-maxxing.” Despite endless IG reels, TikToks, YouTube tutorials, and, of course, ChatGPT promising the promethean deliverance of ease, Kathryn Jezer-Morton rather offered us another way in her article “In 2026, we are friction-maxxing” in The Cut. Her point: happiness and satisfaction lie in resistance not convenience and automation. Friction-maxxing is choosing the harder option that requires more time, more thought, more emotion, and, often, more presence. It is through the avoidance of friction, emotional and mental disturbance, that we lose our humanity. Jezer-Morton calls for a return to an analog approach to our daily life. Examples would include hand-written notes over AI summaries, reading a book rather than watching the movie, or walking to work rather than driving.
I would like to call for an even more persephonic embodiment of “friction-maxxing;” while friction-maxxing employs more material and mental effort to derive satisfaction, I would like to offer its emotional and empowering sibling: “Present-maxxing."
By Shelby Arias Castanon 2026
Right-click to save and print.
Chandra E.
“I am the lucky owner of both an original and a print from Alejandro. Alejandro truly is a gem, and I hope to continue to add to my collection in the future!”
Bas Rutten (UFC Hall of Famer)
"Thank you very much. They look freaking awesome! Really cool, it's huge! Haha, thank you so much!"
- Godspeed, Bas
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