arte del corazón
programs.
Mercados Artesanales
A monthly inclusive art market experience for the Watsonville community in which locals can support artists and learn about their craft. We offer professional development opportunities for artists to increase their skills in merchandising, sales, promotion, web-presence and more. Our Mercado's are a welcoming first time experience for a lot of artists. We see these markets as a way to increase the value of the arts within the community of Watsonville. Economic development through the arts.
Exhibition Series
Provides exhibition opportunities/ spaces to historically excluded artists in Santa Cruz County with a focus on Watsonville artists. The exhibitions feature culturally relevant topics and provide extensive curatorial support to artists in the creation of the artworks. We offer 4 solo exhibitions per year and multiple Group shows. Our Pop-up exhibitions are located at our Mercados artesanales and at local community events. Artist Development
Noches Artesanales
Showcases local talent by creating monthly opportunities for artists to share their skills with the greater community. Workshops are recorded and uploaded to our website. Participants learn a new skill, come away with a unique art piece and learn about the artists--their background, history and what brings them to keep creating. These have been done virtually due to covid but we planning on holding these in person soon. Community Connection.
Programs Coming in 2022
Artist Mentorship Collectives
Made up of two collectives, one for youth and one for adults. We facilitate the creation of collective groups with differing skill levels, facilitate skill shares and initiate group projects. Guest speakers are invited as a method of developing skills, connections and general awareness of current contemporary art forms. Working in a collective setting allows for everyone to be a mentor in some capacity to another and further establishes the necessity of our artist's community working as a group. Relationship Building
Pajaro Valley Artist Directory
Our hub for artists to learn about our programs as well as a space for the public to gain access to a database of local artists they can support of contact for job opportunities. Marketing our local artists is of the highest priority for us. In this new age of technology and social media it's important that our artists are represented. Watsonville artists are extremely hard working and due to their economic backgrounds are not able to devote the necessary time to promoting themselves. This aspect makes providing this service imperative to establishing an equitable playing field within the artist community at large. Prioritizing Equity