Hops-inspired artist showcased at Dry Dock Brewery

National Hispanic Heritage Month exhibit honors farmers behind the beer

By Melissa Voss 

Aurora-based Dry Dock Brewing Co. is celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month by shining light on the hands that cultivate our hops. In collaboration with Mexican-American artist Christie Tirado, Dry Dock will host a showcase of Tirado’s series “Hops,” inspired by the Yakima Valley hops farmers in Washington state.

Tirado, who currently resides in Yakima Valley, seeks to bring social awareness through her work by uncovering the stories often passed over. Although she majored in ceramics and printmaking at the University of Washington-Seattle, she utilizes relief-blocking as her current artistic medium. 

For Tirado, her relief-printing continues a legacy of cultural communication, “[Relief-blocking] was and is a huge part of communication for Hispanic communities. It is a vocal medium for social and political views, a tool,” Tirado explains. 

In 2018, Tirado began the Hops series in collaboration with other artists surrounding Yakima Valley. By going to the hop farms and learning about hops from the farmers, she realized how much work actually goes into hops production and the year-round dedication that the hop farmers have for quality. 

“There is a short window when hops are right to harvest. These farmers are working in a fast-paced environment for long periods of time while ensuring the quality of the hops,” Tirado says.

Tirado also shares that before the series, she was unaware of what the hop farmers were doing in her community.

“This was happening where I live, in my community - and this never crossed my mind before. I wanted to share the realities around me, the realities around us,” Tirado emphasizes.

By coming to Colorado, Tirado hopes that the hops series gets viewers to think about where their IPAs and other beers come from; whose hands the hops have come through to get from farm to glass.

“Everyone comes from different ways of life, different life experiences and art brings attention to all of these hands that go into cultivating the hops. I hope that this series brings awareness to the quality of work these farmers have done and that everybody has a story to tell,” Tirado says.

Tirado’s Hops series will be showcased at the Dry Dock Brewery in Aurora on September 9, beginning at 5 p.m. For the occasion, Dry Dock will also produce a special IPA, Arte de Lupulo, made with Yakima Valley Hops from supplier Yakima Chief. Tiedo will also be hosting a workshop at Denver’s Latin Cultural Arts Center on Sept. 10 at noon, where children and adults can have their try at relief-blocking as well.

Melissa Voss is a South Dakota native who recently moved to Colorado to follow her passion for writing, the arts and the great outdoors. She is currently a student at the University of Colorado Denver, majoring in journalism and English literature.