Deborah Cullen-Morales began working as an intern at The Printmaking Workshop, sponging for a Jack Whitten lithograph. Her role expanded to organizing and managing the print collection, gaining curatorial expertise along the way, and curating exhibitions, including the US section of the Cairo Biennale. In 2002, she earned her Ph.D. in Art History from the CUNY Graduate Center, focusing her dissertation on master printmaker Robert Blackburn. Cullen-Morales went on to serve as Director of Curatorial Programs at El Museo del Barrio and as Director of the Bronx Museum. Her focus on Latinx, Caribbean, and African-American art has left a lasting impact on the global art community.
“I realized we’ve never seen this work from him, this man has created a workshop that’s not recognized in the history of printmaking and his own work is not recognized in the history of printmaking. I started to realize his impact on ULAE [Universal Limited Art Editions], how many people he invited to the workshop, just his reach and his touch, his influence. At some point, it just snapped. I said why would I write something about out there, when this is right here.”
