Youth Gallery Takeover: “Will You Still Hold My Hand?” ARTS Youth Artists Prep for Exhibition
In preparation for the Youth Gallery Takeover, our Community ARTS youth artists have been learning about curation, exhibition design, and accessibility in the arts, with their work grounded in social justice and decolonization. They’ve attended design workshops at the ARTS Center, explored cultural and historical exhibits during museum field trips, conducted field research at local studios, and engaged in exhibition walkthroughs alongside Community ARTS program coordinator Anna Mia Ruiz.
Their museum visits took them to Balboa Park, where they explored the Institute of Contemporary Art and the San Diego Museum of Art. There, they considered how artwork changes when it’s shown in a specific space, paying attention to the details that help an exhibition come together for the public, like signage, lighting, and scale.
The students also spent time in Barrio Logan, visiting several arts spaces in the neighborhood’s vibrant creative district. Some of their stops included the Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center, the Athenaeum, and the Art Hub, where they met local working artists and visited their studios, including tintype portrait photographer Rafa Rios (Ojo Creativo) and painter T. Jay Santa Ana, both based at the Art Hub on Logan Ave.
At the Athenaeum, they took part in a hands-on lesson in printmaking and signage. They learned about the history of typography and got to set type into compositions on a letterpress, an experience that will be especially helpful as they prepare to display their own work in August.
Their visit to the Art Hub gave them an even closer look at process-driven art-making. They learned about the history of tintype photography, heard Rafa’s personal story with the craft, and learned about the mentors who passed that knowledge down to him. Each student’s tintype portrait was taken during the visit and will be displayed in the upcoming exhibition.
In T. Jay’s studio, they got a glimpse into the inspiration behind the paintings on the walls and saw how a creative career can offer valuable insight for their own future in fine art. By the end of the day, the youth artists left with notes on inspiration, process, and ideas for presenting their own work at the upcoming Youth Gallery Takeover.
The students also had the chance to spend more time with curation through the “Erotech” exhibition, which is currently on view at the ARTS Gallery until August 7. Led by exhibition curator Hamsa Fae and participating artist Lucy Mu Li, the presentation encouraged them to think more deeply about contemporary art, ask questions, and immerse themselves in the works presented by Viet Voices’ AAPI Emerging Artist Fellowship, which includes Kelsey Boncato, Lucy Mu Li, and Armaan Mumtaz. This experience gave the youth artists a deeper sense of how to approach their own exhibition with more intention, creativity, and care.
Immediately after spending time at the ARTS Gallery, they headed straight to the Front Arte Cultura in San Ysidro, where they were able to begin preparing for their installation. The Youth Gallery Takeover will open on August 27 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. so be sure to mark your calendars. We’re excited to see how these experiences over the past few months will shape the work they share at the Front Arte Cultura!
