"Los Sembradores" - Art Alliance Dedication

I was so proud to be a part of the dedication of the Eastside park murals!

The dedication was held to honor the murals created by the Santa Barbara Art Alliance.

The Santa Barbara Arts Alliance Project provides participants with ongoing training centered on the creative arts.

Participants assisted City Staff with special projects including Community Services Annual Holiday Dinner & Toy Drive, 4 Neighborhood Clean-Ups, and with food distributions through the Franklin Neighborhood Center's Mobile Pantry.

A total of 22 young adults between the ages of 14 and 21 have just finished a four-month art program that included the creation these 4 AMAZING murals as well as 4 equally amazing murals at the Westside Boys and Girls Club.

This year’s project is being made possible thanks to a generous grant (in the amount of $15,120) from the Santa Barbara Foundation-funded by the Orfalea Fund.

This piece was done to honor the local farmers who have plots at the Yanonali Community Gardens. Here is a neat post over at Edhat.com about the local gardens.

Overall, the Santa Barbara Arts Alliance Program offers a great opportunity for OUR youth to “give back” to their communities. And the results are brilliant.

Please stop by the Eastside Park on Soledad and Yanonali to check out their great work!

Art Alliance Dedication - March 27, 2009

Mural Dedication for Santa Barbara Arts Alliance Project on Friday, March 27

The City’s Parks & Recreation Department and the Franklin Neighborhood Center Advisory Committee have planned a dedication ceremony for a mural created by the Santa Barbara Arts Alliance on Friday, March 27, 3:30pm, at the Eastside Park and Yanonali Community Garden (Yanonali & Soledad streets). Santa Barbara Arts Alliance program participants will dedicate one of four recently completed murals, "Los Sembradores," dedicated to those who garden. The public is invited to attend along with the Mayor, City Council members and department/city staff.

This ceremony culminates a four-month Parks & Recreation art program including the creation of 4 murals at Eastside Park, 4 murals at the Westside Boys and Girls Club, a silk-screening design t-shirt project, and a digital art graphics project. Twenty-two Alliance participants between the ages of 14 and 21 benefited from the hands-on opportunity, learning creative ways to express themselves while receiving community service hours for their participation. In addition, Alliance members assisted with a Community Services Annual Holiday Dinner & Toy Drive and the Franklin Neighborhood Center's Mobile Pantry. In coming months, mural projects and digital arts classes will continue at the Franklin Neighborhood Center.