April marks the fifth annual Arts, Culture & Creativity Month made possible by Californians for the Arts now being celebrated at Arts District Liberty Station. The station is home to more than 100 working artists, craft studios, galleries, and museums. This month, the Arts District is highlighting the many inspiring creatives that call this space home, along with welcoming new events for the whole family.
Arts District Liberty Station is San Diego’s largest Arts and Cultural District located in historic buildings at the former Naval Training Center on San Diego Bay. With 100 park-like acres, the district is home to nearly 145 museums and galleries, artist studios, dance companies, fine dining, creative retail, and other organizations that showcase San Diego’s creative community and provide innovative experiences for the public.
Following are eight businesses in the Arts District who are participating in Culture & Creativity Month, discussing how they are creative, fit into the district, why the district is the epicenter of culture and creativity in the Peninsula, and why culture and creativity are important.
– Estudio de artista Lauren LeVieux #104, Barracks 16 – “I can’t understand why California would decide to celebrate arts, culture, and creativity for only one month a year when really, I can’t think of anything more important for the well-being of every human. Come by an art studio in Arts District and enter into the mind of an artist. See their process; ask them why they paint; and buy something from them that thrills you. My art studio is on the ground floor of Barracks 16 next to La Galleria with more art studios upstairs and on the ground floor. We are all located within a five-minute walk of each other and each building has an elevator.
“Culture is what binds groups together and separates us from others,” continued LeVieux. “Culture makes language, dance, and history into something understandable. Creativity is finding the paths between the groups and allowing groups to communicate their differences and sameness. Creativity is the ultimate translator of culture. Art is tangible creativity. And art is available year-round.”
– Diana Davidson, owner/founder of Songbirds Music – “AC&C Month is a celebration of the arts and culture in all its forms. It is a time to recognize the importance of creativity and expression, and the impact that the arts have on individuals, communities, and the world around us. This is a beautiful learning opportunity where people of all ages can connect, explore, and engage with different types of art, participate in cultural events, and support local artists and cultural organizations. Since 2008, Songbirds Music is proud to provide a safe and nurturing place, a nest really, where families and friends with little ones (ages birth to age 6) gather to learn, grow, and connect through music, movement, and play in a fun, play-based, informal, and supportive environment.
“We use a variety of developmentally appropriate activities and instruments for our little ones to experience and explore while incorporating music and musical traditions from a variety of cultures,” continued Davidson. “In our classes, you will see families using their voices and bodies as their primary instruments along with opportunities to dance with scarves and hoops and play with percussive instruments like shakers, bells, djembes, and sticks.
“Arts District is the heartbeat of culture and creativity in the community because there is no other place where art, music, dance, theater, food, history, families, and cultures intersect in one contained space. What is needed to make the Arts District even more culturally relevant and creative is to establish more opportunities for community engagement and collaboration. This can be done by creating more public spaces for artists to showcase their work, hosting more family-friendly community events that celebrate local art and culture, and fostering partnerships between all the artists and local businesses in the community.”
– Hanna Denham, owner of Art in Flexion – “Our art and craft are founded in the circus arts. We celebrate our art by carrying on the legacy passed down from our coaches and their coaches. Art in Flexion is going on its seventh year. We specialize in strength-based flexibility programs so that our students not only gain flexibility but learn how to build the strength to safely maintain their skills. We offer specific training to anybody that wants to improve overall mobility and strength, with students ages 14-65. Everyone can benefit from our training as we offer classes that focus on the basic fundamentals of exercise such as strengthening the feet, neck, and hands, not just power and muscular shape.
“We collaborate with the other businesses to showcase and share the importance of art to the community,” continued Denham. “We are proud to be a part of bringing more color and texture to our audiences here in Liberty Station. The Arts District is truly unique in the way they open doors of opportunity to artists. We are consistently offering creative options for our students to share their skills. Culture and creativity go hand in hand with ever-evolving artists. The beauty of expression and the freedom to do so keeps the world healthy. Promoting the ability to create what is in your imagination or heart eases the weight of what can often feel overbearing in our daily lives.”
– Courtney Corey, director/founder of Theatre Arts School of San Diego – This month, we are busy with the outreach program, Liberty School, which was developed in 2007 by the NTC Foundation. Through this important and impact program, Theatre Arts School partners with Dewey Elementary and Washington Elementary to provide theatre arts education for students in grades TK-5. Liberty School provides a creative outlet and arts education for students in a safe and nurturing environment. It brings me great joy to watch students thrive in a creative environment. This is why we do what we do.”
“I am looking forward to having The Joan and Irwin Performing Arts Center in Liberty Station,” continued Corey. “It will provide many more opportunities for live performing arts to our Arts District. My wish is that there are opportunities for small performing groups to perform in the space as well as the larger ones. I also hope there are opportunities to make performing arts events accessible so that future theatre makers can experience amazing art regardless of economic barriers.”
– Patricia Martinez, Canela Photography – “AC&C Month is exciting for me and I am collaborating with several dancers to create and highlight the beauty of San Diego. Portrait photography has been my business for many years. However, my business was established to fund my artwork. I like to work with classical dancers in collaborations that highlight their skills as I believe that dance is an art form and is culturally important.”
“Arts District is the epicenter of culture and creativity in the community because of the support by the foundation and the inclusiveness of so many different art forms and mediums,” continued Martinez. “Because of this diversity, one can’t help but be inspired, artist or not, and it feeds the soul … sometimes literally. San Diegans need to know more about the Arts District. We are here and happy to have them stop by to say hello and see what we have created. Feeling the love from our community is energizing. I believe that culture and creativity are the soul of a community and when it is healthy and strong – we thrive.”
– Rice Enright, Apt 4 Music – “As musical artists and educators, we consider arts, culture & creativity to be a universal language and platform for all people from all over the world, and the month of April is an opportunity to highlight and focus on this. Apt 4 Music is constantly promoting the musical arts through student and band performances on our First Fridays events, collaborations with local public and charter schools, as well as connecting artists with professional opportunities. Apt 4 Music is a music nonprofit whose mission is to provide musical arts education and opportunities for those that would otherwise not have access. We will provide the opportunity, regardless of financial, cultural, or physical boundaries. We are not audition based … Our only criteria is that the individual wants to grow and learn with music.”
“We believe in the idea of artists supporting artists, whether their discipline is music, visual, culinary, or otherwise,” continued Enright. “Liberty Station is a melting pot of artistic diversity. It provides access to so many experiences within the arts culture, as well as the foundation to support the artists therein. Arts District has already set a standard of excellence with its programs and services, and this is driven primarily by the passion of the individuals who support and work there. Music is something that brings us all together as humans. It is a language we can all speak and understand. It is important to continue to support and provide access to the arts, music, and beyond so that this universal connection is never lost.”
– Steffanie Dotson, Colectivo de artesanía de San Diego – “April is also National Woodworking Month, so it holds special significance for us. We’re in planning mode this month, scheduling more than 30 craft events and workshops, and planning for our next Open House on May 5. SDCC is a 501c3 nonprofit with a mission to teach craft and woodworking to the community and to support craft artists. We’re founded on the belief that creativity and making unique objects with your hands elevate a person’s sense of well-being and build confidence. SDCC offers a 2,400-square-foot space that includes a full wood shop, ceramics and glass studios that accompany a broad fiber arts program. We offer classes and activities that foster creativity through craft for all ages.”
“Arts District is unique in its abundance of talented resident artists and creative for and nonprofits,” continued Dotson. “Part of the attraction for artists to open studios and businesses here is the expansive, beautiful landscape, which lends itself to creating beautiful things. The spaces and the architecture are historical, and charming, and have lots of windows to let in natural light. Culture and creativity connect humans by bridging gaps between things that differ among them. Imagine a group of people coming together in a rainbow of backgrounds and skin colors to knit scarves or sew projects for themselves or others in need. That’s powerful and beautiful.”
– Sharon Zeichner, founder of Bilingual Kids since 2008 – “AC&C Month is such a significant celebration and an incredible opportunity to create awareness of the important role that the arts bring to communities. For this reason, throughout April, we are holding bilingual cultural workshops as an inclusive and encompassing avenue for the community to participate and immerse themselves in the Arts District, which is ‘the’ epicenter of the San Diego Multi-Cultural Artist community. It is filled with talented artists, visionaries, and organizations from various backgrounds and cultures, that have so much to offer to San Diego and the world.
“Within our organization we intend to not only continue to teach children to be truly bilingual and bicultural, but are also creating an avenue for people of all ages to be able to expand their cultural awareness in wholesome, engaging, and creative ways,” continued Zeichner. “I chose to establish my business here in a wonderful place that offers various opportunities for learning and appreciation of other cultures. I see the Arts District as the only place in this beautiful city to have the opportunity to expand on this vision, being a place where my non-profit business can stretch further located in Barracks 2 and soon to open, the BK2 Multicultural Center, “A Language, Artistry, and Educational Community.”
INFO BOX
New classes, exhibits, displays, activities, and Arts District businesses featured in April for Arts, Culture & Creativity Month
MASTER CLASS SERIES
Grab your dancing shoes, because The Rosin Box Project y Teatro de danza de San Diego are collaborating on a free Master Class Series for students this month on Saturday, April 8 from noon to 2 p.m. Taught by world-renowned professional artists, the entire series will feature four public classes hosted at San Diego Dance Theater’s Light Box Theater (2590 Truxtun Road, Suite 205). The classes are free and open to the public, but preregistration is strongly encouraged as classes may fill up quickly.
TURN! TURN! TURN! ART EXHIBIT
El WE Gallery, in collaboration with San Diego Ballet and Arts District Liberty Station, is presenting “Turn! Turn! Turn!” a multimedia art exhibit exploring dance as an expression of life following the seasons of change during the pandemic. The opening reception and community dance will be Friday, April 14 from 6-8 p.m. at the Mandell Weiss Gallery space in the Dorthea Laub Dance Place. The exhibition will run from April 14 through Aug. 11.
MALASHOCK DANCE’S “PERPETUAL (E)MOTION”
Danza Malashock will present three world premiers by nationally renowned choreographers in “Perpetual (E)motion.” The one-hour program, performed by dancers from Malashock Dance Company, is made up of three distinct dances featuring all-new choreography by San Diego choreographer John Malashock, Christopher K. Morgan of Christopher K. Morgan & Artists, (Makawao), and Tristian Griffin of Tristian Griffin Dance Company (Kansas City). The performance will take place at the Joan B. Kroc Theatre on April 15 at 7:30 p.m. and April 16 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 to $45 per person and are available for purchase en línea.
TIED
Fundación NTC welcomes a new public art installation to Arts District Liberty Station: Tied, by San Diego weaver, crocheter, and embroidery artist Cat Chiu Phillips. Tied is a 7-piece macrame art installation that blends the traditional rigging and knotting techniques common in the US Navy’s seamanship training with fiber art techniques. Tied was commissioned by NTC Foundation as part of their Installations at the Station program.
MAHJUBA STYLE STUDIO
Mahjuba, a professional fashion stylist, has made Arts District her home. With years of experience leading the stylist industry, Mahjuba educates men and women and works with them to build a strong wardrobe foundation. Her studio offers a variety of different services including virtual styling and re-styling, wardrobe organization, color analysis, and more. Elevate your style and creativity with Mahjuba in Barracks 15 Ste. 203.
