ARTS Fall Team Art Exhibition "Sanctuary Within"
We are proud to present our Fall Team Art Exhibition, "Sanctuary Within." This exhibition invites viewers to explore the meaningful concept of sanctuary — not just as a physical location but as a deeper, emotional landscape where care, belonging, and connection can flourish. Our sanctuaries exist not only in the spaces we occupy but also within ourselves and in the relationships we nurture with one another.
Over thirty talented members of the ARTS team, along with our collaborators, have poured their creativity into a stunning showcase of intimate and personal mixed media artworks. Through a captivating array of paintings, photographs, and three-dimensional objects, these artists have reflected on how we cultivate sanctuaries in our lives. Each piece serves as a statement of resilience, creativity, and a yearning for connection.
In exploring the profound connections we have to our everyday surroundings and the memories they invoke, multiple artists illustrate the significance of sanctuary and belonging in their work. Last week, we hosted the opening reception for Sanctuary Within at the ARTS Center, where we heard from several artists featured in the show about what sanctuary means to them.
Ashley Aparicio, ARTS Facilities Assistant, shares her perspective on family and emotional healing in her artwork:
"The themes of sanctuary and belonging are important parts of my piece because family has always been a place, both physically and emotionally, where I’m able to reset myself and revisit a problem with a fresh perspective. Specifically in my art piece, the ribbons holding the portraits together are more than an aesthetic choice. They also signify familial bonds that connect to each family member, ultimately creating a sense of belonging."
“The themes of sanctuary and belonging are important parts of my piece because family has always been a place, both physically and emotionally, where I’m able to reset myself and revisit a problem with a fresh perspective.”
Ashley Aparicio is Studio Arts major at SDSU and Facilities Assistant at the ARTS Organization, specializing in experimentation between various art forms. I excel in painting and photography, taking a surrealist approach to explore the human psyche, using my own experiences and emotions as examples. I take pride in using my artwork as a way to heal and self-regulate my emotions and past experiences, which is why I aspire to become an art therapist to help others heal and utilize their resources. My work cannot be contained within one form and, like the human consciousness, it is constantly evolving.
“The A Reason To Survive (ARTS) program is part of my sanctuary because it allows me to be creative by letting me create anime art that I love and share it with the arts community. This program allows me to work at a place that supports art creation, which I have a great passion for and it allows me to be a part of an art community where I could share my art and celebrate other artist’s work together.”
“This program allows me to work at a place that supports art creation, which I have a great passion for and it allows me to be a part of an art community where I could share my art and celebrate other artist’s work together.”
We are excited to welcome Michael Cruz as our ARTS Operations Intern for this Fall Semester in partnership with Southwestern College. With several years of drawing experience, Michael draws inspiration from his favorite anime characters and the cozy warmth of home environments. He is a pleasure to work with, and we look forward to seeing how he expresses his creativity and passion during his time with us!
Raymundo Navarrete, a Program Assistant for ARTS on Campus who we are very excited to welcome to the team this session, echoes these sentiments, stating: "A sanctuary doesn't have to be titled in the moment, it'll find you when you least expect it but knows when you need it most — like the ocean, that sanctuary is always around you, even if you don't see it, ready to welcome you in its warmth when you're ready to name it as such."
“A sanctuary doesn’t have to be titled in the moment, it’ll find you when you least expect it, but knows when you need it most...”
Ray is a self-taught artist born in Chula Vista. My works aim to capture seemingly 'mundane' moments in time that hold a deeper meaning to myself and hope it can resonate with the viewer by inserting themselves into the scene to find beauty in their everyday surroundings.
"This work elevates everyday ephemera—shoelaces, zippers, safety pins, scraps of fabric — into a kind of altar. What might be dismissed as trash becomes a map of memory, a constellation of the small objects that quietly shape a life. Like the array on a bedroom dresser, these fragments hold intimacy and presence: reminders of making, of living, of loving. In their haphazard arrangement, they form a sanctuary of the ordinary, suggesting that sacred space isn’t found far away, but in the overlooked details closest at hand."
“Sacred space isn’t found far away, but in the overlooked details closest at hand.”
Zadé Helena (they/them/siya) is a multimedia artist, Creative Arts Therapist, and Teaching Artist whose work navigates identity, memory, and the sacred qualities of everyday life. Their practice centers on the belief that the ordinary holds magic, inviting audiences to reflect, engage, and find a sense of shared experience in the stories and materials that shape our lives.
Together, these artists highlight the transformative power of creativity and art as a medium for connection, healing, and understanding our shared experiences.
"Sanctuary Within" aims to inspire young people to envision and create their own sanctuaries — spaces where they feel seen, heard, and empowered to imagine their futures. In a world that often feels chaotic and overwhelming, we believe it is crucial to recognize the importance of these personal and communal sanctuaries.
Come check out the Sanctuary Within the next time you are at the ARTS Center the exhibition will be on display in the ARTS Gallery through November 7th. Together we can explore the various ways we can build spaces of refuge—both within ourselves and in our communities.
The exhibition will be on display in the ARTS Gallery until November 7.
Gallery hours are from 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM, Monday through Thursday.
