Saturday, May 3 2025
ARTS Center | 12 - 3PM
In Bloom: Youth Arts Festival joyfully celebrated the vibrant creative expressions of all the young artists who participated in the A Reason to Survive (ARTS) programs during the Spring 2025 season.
Young artists from National City and the South Bay, along with professional teaching artists, engaged in various creative processes that created space for them to reflect on their identities and the world around them. Together, they explored their unique stories, built meaningful connections, and engaged with their communities by discovering the lessons that nature taught us.
Youth Voice and Vision
At the ARTS Center, young people took the lead! This session's festival was a remarkable success, and we couldn't be prouder of our youth and team. Showcasing artworks by more than 500 youth artists from all four of our programs, along with 32 youth volunteers from our Community ARTS program, we provided numerous opportunities for young individuals to connect with the community. They presented their artwork through youth-led art tours, panel discussions, performances, creative activities, and workshops!
Sharing the Creative Journey
We also organized panel discussions and presentations by young artists from our programs, who shared their personal journeys and explored the transformative power of creativity. These inspiring sessions can motivate all of us to pursue our creative passions.
Fun for the whole family!
One of the highlights of the festival was the range of workshops designed to engage and inspire attendees of all ages. These hands-on sessions allowed participants to learn from professional teaching artists and youth artists with projects inspired by their own work. These creative workshops were an excellent way for anyone of any age to get a taste of our programs!
Patio Performances
We were very excited to welcome our friends from Music 4 Kids and ARTS’ good friend Terry Matsuoka for musical performances on our patio! Our guests enjoyed some tasty snacks while contributing to our community mosaic. Plus, the little ones had a blast getting their faces painted! It was a delightful day of creativity and connection!
Creative Collaboration
Major shoutout to Adriana Quezada who our ARTS on Campus Teaching Artist at Lincoln Acres Elementary School and is the brilliant illustrator behind our In Bloom: Youth Arts Festival branding!
Adriana’s artwork added so much magic and joy to our festival branding this season. We’re truly grateful to have such a talented and supportive team and work with so many amazing artists!
Check out the reel on our Instagram to hear more about Adriana’s vision for creating this fun and thoughtful design. We can’t wait to find more ways to showcase the many talents of our team members more in the future!
Event Program
Want to learn more about our event and the different activities and individuals involved? Check out our Festival program, which features each exhibition space and program presentation, and has a page dedicated to all of our Spring 2025 Youth Artists!
English Event Program (Click to View)
Spanish Event Program (Click to View)
