At ArtReach, we’ve been bustling with new art projects and exciting opportunities to engage with our community. One of our latest highlights is the City Heights Plaza del Sol mural, a vibrant piece of art celebrating cultural diversity and community spirit. In addition, our team has been busy across San Diego leading professional development activities, installing youth art, establishing new partnerships, and more!

Continue reading to learn more about how we’re transforming communities through collaborative art experiences.

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Community Mural at Plaza del Sol

The new year has been a busy one so far for the ArtReach Mural Program, and we are thrilled to feature the very first project of 2024: City Heights Plaza del Sol. Plaza del Sol is a new affordable housing complex located in the heart of City Heights that is now home to 75 local families. Designed by ArtReach Mural Artist Partner Josué Baltézar, this project was a collaboration with Wakeland Housing and Price Philanthropies and spans 6 large panels of exquisite murals. With over 100 community members joining in to paint during our Community Paint Day, the result is an eye-catching pop of color on the bustling corner of El Cajon Blvd. and Fairmount Ave.

One of the core aspects of our Mural Program’s process is the inclusion and prioritization of community design input. Through ArtReach-led listening sessions with neighbors, residents, and local organizations, Josué and the Mural Team met community members, heard their stories, and gathered ideas for the final mural design. Josué then used their direct input as inspiration for the artwork, which celebrates the rich diversity of City Heights while paying homage to the native land on which we stand. The mural imagery throughout these 6 panels features symbolism from Somalian, Ethiopian, Mexican, South East Asian, and Kumeyaay cultures.

Cara Vereschagin, Project Manager at Wakeland, stated,
“Partnering with ArtReach San Diego was an easy decision for us due to their stellar reputation for involving local groups in every step of the process, ensuring their stories are accurately portrayed. Josué and the ArtReach team exceeded our expectations by actively engaging the City Heights community throughout our project. The result is a breathtaking mural series beautifully capturing the neighborhood’s diverse spirit, culture, and essence. We couldn’t be more thrilled with the finished product!”

This mural at City Heights Plaza del Sol is just the latest of a series of 6 community-painted murals that we have led at schools and other neighborhood sites throughout District 9 over the last year. Because of our in-depth mural work in this district, we were honored to receive ‘Artists of Year’ at District 9’s State of the District event by City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera for engaging over 400 District 9 youth and community members in mural making, helping to transform this neighborhood, one wall at a time.

Thank you for tuning in! We look forward to continuing to work with youth and communities on collaborative mural-making. If you’d like to learn more about Josué’s artistic background, please click the button below to read an inspiring article by Lisa Deaderick.

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Professional Development at Freese Elementary

Residency Program Manager Brooke Benedix led a Professional Development art activity with UTK-5th educators at Freese Elementary that revolved around culture and community. Teachers were introduced to artist Alma Thomas, the first black woman artist to be featured in the White House art collection under the presidency of Barack Obama.

Thomas served her community as an art teacher for most of her life until she retired at 70 to become a professional artist. The group discussed Alma Thomas’ legacy, its impact on her culture and community, and the big takeaway that it’s never too late to create or become a famous artist. Teachers created Alma Thomas-inspired art pieces, using posca acrylic paint pens to draw abstract rings, each representing an aspect of their culture that defines them and how their identity serves their culture and community.

Teachers were asked to consider color symbolism and which hues connect to their feelings toward their chosen aspects of the culture they belong to, such as location, food, stories, ancestors, etc. Between each ring, teachers were encouraged to write a description of their ring either in open prose or by writing song lyrics and idioms that spoke to them.

After a thoughtful discussion and presentation of everyone’s impact on their experience with culture within their art pieces, the group created a title for their artwork and a group exhibition title to further unify our interconnectedness to each other. Teachers walked away from this experience with an Alma Thomas storybook and resources to teach the workshop to their students and extend these powerful themes into their classroom communities.

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Student-Partnered Artist Residency K-12 (SPARK)

UTK and Kindergarten artists at Miller Elementary School completed their first collaborative installation project as part of their 12-week Student-Partnered Artist Residency program. They worked with local artist Lulu Yueming Qu, learning about her illustration style and artistic practice, starting with how to draw different fruits and vegetables.  During the following workshops, students created garden stakes and paintings depicting all the things students were looking forward to growing in the garden. On the final day of the residency, students worked with Lulu and Teaching Artist Sierra Aguilar to hang their artwork on the garden fence in a collaborative rainbow installation that instantly brightened the space and created a welcoming environment in the school garden.

This residency is part of ArtReach’s new SPARK (Student-Partnered Artist Residency K-12) program. This program partners students with local artists to create large-scale, collaborative installation artwork and engage in public artwork on campus. We are excited to start SPARK with Miller Elementary and cannot wait to see future creations.

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Community Workshops with SCAIR

We are excited to announce our partnership with the Southern California American Indian Resource Center to produce a series of visual art workshops centering on Indigenous artists and cultural heritage. Made possible by the California Arts Council Impact Projects Grant, each workshop promotes intergenerational learning and community art-making through the instruction of various Indigenous craft mediums. This collaboration fosters creativity and deepens our appreciation for Indigenous art forms and traditions.

It is paramount to recognize and amplify the voices of artists whose art processes have been overlooked in mainstream art curricula. Through our collaborative workshops with SCAIR, we aim to shed light on the significance of Indigenous artistry and cultural expression and provide a platform for Indigenous artists to share their knowledge and skills.

Please click each artist’s photo to learn more about their unique journey and upcoming workshops at ArtReach Studio HQ, where we invite you to join us in fostering a community of learning, appreciation, and creativity.

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Ponce’s Cares Supports ArtReach

We are happy to share the success of our recent fundraiser in partnership with Ponce’s Mexican Restaurant and our fantastic community! Thanks to your generous support, we’ve raised over $850 for free arts education programs. We want to express our most profound appreciation to everyone who visited Ponce’s Kensington, enjoyed a refreshing “La Artista” margarita, and helped spread the word on social media.

We’d also like to extend our gratitude to Ponce’s Kensington for spearheading the “Ponce’s Cares” campaign and for selecting ArtReach as the featured nonprofit for January 2024. Together, we are making a difference in the lives of aspiring young artists and creators.

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ArtReach in the News // Rolando Substation Mural

An SDG&E Electric Substation at the border between the communities of Rolando and College Area was the site of a visual upgrade by local artist Katy Yeaw. View photos of the finished mural here!

The mural spotlights the historic paseos of the Rolando neighborhood, which are the connection walkways that weave throughout the community. One can find each paseo name references in the mural, including Agave, Hummingbird, Coyote, Oranges, Oranges, Palms, Pines, Parrots, and Falcon.

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Painting & Pints with the Friends of Museum School

Join the Friends of Museum School and ArtReach for an afternoon of art to help fund a new collaborative and inclusive mural with the students at Museum School. ArtReach Teaching Artist Laurie will lead this workshop, and participants will be provided with a canvas and necessary materials.