ARTS Spring 2026 All Team Retreat Recap

This spring, our ARTS team held an off-site All-Team Retreat at the Logan Heights Public Library. A big thank you to Monica Bañuelos, our People and Culture Coordinator, for coordinating the partnership and securing the location while the ARTS Center is undergoing an exciting renovation, which will be revealed soon! We were thrilled to have over 40 team members gather in this new space to reconnect, reflect, and prepare for the upcoming season.

A major highlight was welcoming more than 10 new ARTS team members, including program coordinators, teaching artists, assistants, and events team members, to their first retreat. Their enthusiasm, diverse backgrounds, and eagerness to contribute brought a vibrant energy to our gathering, reminding us of the importance of expanding our community with new voices and fresh ideas.

This retreat was also an important time of leadership transition for ARTS. Our Executive Director, Lucy Eagleson, took the opportunity to pass the torch to our new Interim Executive Director, Olimpia Vázquez Ojeda. This was a meaningful milestone for our community, as we honored Lucy’s leadership and welcomed Olimpia’s vision for the future. To learn more about this transition, check out our blog post, “Announcing Our New Interim Executive Director, Olimpia Vázquez Ojeda.”

Embracing the Theme: Collective Care

The main focus of our retreat was the spring theme of Collective Care. We talked about moving beyond just self-care and taking on shared responsibility, creating an environment where everyone gives and receives the support needed to live more loving and liberated lives. Throughout the day, we reflected on our interconnectedness and how each of us contributes to the collective strength of our ARTS community.

Collective care is a big part of what makes ARTS special, and you’ll see this theme across our Spring session. We’re looking forward to exploring it even more with youth in all our programs.

Throughout the day, we looked for ways to share this idea with the youth in our programs. One example was the “Free Food Fridge” Community Agreements activity, which our ARTS on Campus team participated in last week, which was inspired by the One Love Community Fridge Project in New York and was presented by AoC Teaching Artist Zadé Helena, this activity taught the idea of ‘mutual aid’ in a creative and effective way. “Art-making connects agreements to practical, creative practice: food objects + care agreements = rehearsal for empathy.”

Our day included inspiring activities and presentations led by ARTS Team Members and our valued community partners:

Opening Icebreaker: “Web of Connectedness”

Our new ARTS on Campus Program Coordinator, David Peña, led us in starting the day by weaving our connections together, sharing our roles, and asking, “How do you show care in your life?” We found common themes among us, which helped set a tone of connection and teamwork for the day.

Linocut/Printing Art Activity

Teaching Artists Ever Rose and Isabella Cervantes led a hands-on linocut project, inviting everyone to show what collective care means to them through art. Each team member made a stamp to represent care in their community. This creative process led to meaningful conversations about how we support each other. At the end, everyone added their stamp to a collaborative art piece that will be displayed at our Youth Arts Festival in May.

Facilitated Drum Circle

A Board Certified Music Therapist from MusicWorx led a lively drum circle, showing us the power of rhythm, unity, and shared joy in making music together.

Program and Department Presentations

Team members from all parts of the organization shared updates and highlights from their programs and departments. We celebrated achievements and exchanged ideas for the future.

Looking Ahead

The ARTS Spring 2026 All Team Retreat reminded us of our shared mission and the strength we find in each other. As we look forward to the opening of our renovated ARTS Center, we are thankful for the chance to build collective care, strengthen our connections, and keep supporting each other as a creative community. We invite you to join us at the Youth Arts Festival in May to experience this spirit of collective care firsthand and be part of our ever-growing community.