Legacy Projects: The ARTS Way
At ARTS, we define Legacy Projects as collaborative art initiatives led by youth, intended to exist permanently or semi-permanently in public spaces such as school campuses, parks, and marketplaces. Some of our Legacy Projects cover entire walls, including the Market Makeover projects, which transformed corner stores in National City from 2021 to 2022. Another recent example is our nature-inspired mural at Bayfront Charter in Chula Vista. This project combines traditional painted murals with mosaic elements, providing a unique visual experience for viewers while also allowing youth artists to explore a variety of artistic mediums.
ARTS youth have permanently enhanced building facades across the county, including the mosaic murals at the San Diego County Office of Education and the A Avenue community mosaic, which was created from 2014 to 2016 and is located just around the corner from the ARTS Center. This initiative has been a key part of our mission at ARTS since we moved to our current location in National City, where we are dedicated to fostering community through creativity. The sense of community and collaboration that these projects foster is truly inspiring and makes everyone involved feel connected and involved.
Legacy Projects at ARTS This Spring 🌸
“I am beyond proud of the teamwork that I saw. Students that felt more confident were mentoring students that maybe had more questions.”
Legacy Projects have increasingly become a popular method for project-based work across all four of our programs. As our Spring 2025 session comes to a close, we are wrapping up six different projects with our school and community partners, including Bayfront High School, Mueller Middle School, Juvenile Court Community Schools, South Campus, Chula Vista Elementary School, Sweetwater Spigot at Las Palmas Park and the Community ARTS Mural at the ARTS Center. Additionally, two more projects are just beginning through our JCCS partnerships in City Heights and San Ysidro, expanding our community reach even further!
These projects showcase a wide range of creativity through various art practices and mediums. Some examples include murals that can be mounted and relocated, such as the Bienvenidos mural created by Global Academy students from JCCS, and the CVESD mural, which featured names contributed by students during their Spring 2025 ARTS Field Trip sessions.
The Community ARTS mural represents an exciting collaboration among our Paintings and Murals project team, where each artist contributed icons to a repeatable pattern that decorates the wall between the Atrium and the Music Room at the ARTS Center. Additionally, the Sweetwater Spigot project, also known as the Ripple Effect, was commissioned by the City of National City and Sweetwater Authority. This initiative aims to raise awareness about a valuable local resource—water conservation—through interactive and eye-catching art installations throughout Las Palmas Park.
“The final painting looks absolutely amazing on our wall, and it brings so much pride to our school community. ”
💭 The Collaborative Creative Process
ARTS Legacy Projects offer young people the opportunity to develop a wide range of skills, including artistic skills, teamwork, and communication. Guided by questions like “What legacy do I want to leave behind?” or “What message do I want to share with others?” youth create individual designs that allow them to self-express and give visibility to their personal ideas, dreams, or aspirations. Then, as a group, young people share, discuss, and review their individual designs to connect different themes, create meaning together, and find ways to integrate multiple perspectives into a few final versions, thus practicing negotiation and collaboration.
In most instances, youth present final designs to community stakeholders such as other students on campus, teachers and faculty, community members, or sometimes “clients” to share their collective vision and incorporate their feedback, which allows them to practice real-world workplace interactions.
With the support of teaching artists, the approved design is brought to life through a hands-on collective effort. Over several weeks, students trace the design onto the wall or space where it will finally be displayed. They color block it, add details, and make finishing touches, often retouching a few times throughout the process. During this experience, the youth learn how different materials, like paint or grout, interact with various surfaces and textures, as well as how environmental conditions can affect the final piece. This learning journey is a testament to their growth and development.
Celebrating Youth and Community 🙌
Following the project, a celebration is held to honor the young artists and all the collaborators who contributed to its success. The youth express a profound sense of pride in creating a large-scale piece that will permanently reside at their school, especially as other students pass by it daily. For older students, projects like this provide an opportunity to leave a legacy for younger students, who look up to them and feel inspired to engage in similar projects in the future. This sense of accomplishment is a testament to the transformative power of creativity in our youth.
“The students are brimming with pride. ”
We know that projects like this require time, effort, energy, and a lot of coordination, but the incredible pride and joy young people feel at the end of each session make it all worthwhile! ARTS would like to extend a big thank you to all our incredible partners who have joined us on these legacy projects. Your dedication to finding resources within your districts and organizations to support the creativity and collaboration of your students truly makes a difference, and we appreciate your efforts.
