Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Where art resides

Typically, artists “just want to make work in private.”

Skateboard photographer J. Grant Brittain is an artist in residence at the Artist Odyssey in Encinitas.
Skateboard photographer J. Grant Brittain is an artist in residence at the Artist Odyssey in Encinitas.
Place

Bread & Salt

1955 Julian Avenue, San Diego

“Artist residences are about taking the time to explore your work in a new way,” says Melissa Walter, who is currently the artist-in-residence at Bread & Salt, “a gallery and experimental center for the arts.” From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, passersby can pop in and watch as Walter, who is also an illustrator for NASA, experiments with “ways to make the invisible visible.” She will be creating an installation piece that explores that mysterious stuff of the universe known as dark matter. One aspect of dark matter, she explains, is the fact that we can’t see it.

“We know it exists by how it affects the things around it, and one of those things is light — if we’re looking into space, if there’s a galaxy and stars behind dark matter, then all of a sudden the light from those stars and galaxies will completely bend. It’s almost like looking through a water glass and light bends the image. And that bending of the light is called gravitational lensing.”

Melissa Walter works as an illustrator for NASA.

This is Walter’s first time as a resident artist. “Most of the people who come through are other artists or creatives somehow associated with events in the building,” she says. “Having creatives come through wound up being, surprisingly, one of my favorite parts about residency — everybody’s really open to sharing their process and resources. I’ve been working from home forever, and even when I was in college I didn’t take up the studio spaces that were offered to artists. It’s been quite wonderful getting to be more collaborative.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

During Walter’s first week, another artist, Michael James Armstrong, happened by her studio and, after some discussion, suggested new materials, including mylar. “It’s like transparency paper, really pliable and interesting — it hadn’t been on my radar before, but now I’m excited to try and incorporate it.”

Though most of the people in and out of the Bread & Salt artist-in-residence studio are other artists, the space is open to the public. “I don’t mind people watching me,” Walter says, “but I definitely think I’m unusual in that a lot of artists I know are more interested in being solitary.”

Place

ICA Central San Diego Art Institute

1439 El Prado, San Diego

Fortunately for artists who’d rather not be watched as they work, there are more private residency programs, such as the one at the San Diego Art Institute. At the institute, artists receive a stipend ranging from $500 to $8000, depending on their project, and they work not at the Balboa Park location, but at the institute’s satellite location (141 Horton Plaza, Downtown), which is also where their finished pieces are exhibited to the public.

“I have actually found that artists hate [public] residencies,” says Ginger Shulick Porcella, executive director of the Art Institute. Porcella says that, typically, artists “just want to make work in private,” and that for artists who get accepted to the program, “The main benefit is being able to mount a solo exhibition, as well as the frequent visits with curators that we line up for artists-in-residence so that they get exposure in the larger art world outside of San Diego.”

The next exhibit, which opens March 31, will feature Noé Olivas, whose artwork “investigates the Mexican-American identity as a Californian” and “considers the relationship between labor/leisure as it fits into conceptions of femininity/masculinity, specifically by evaluating the myth of machismo and its relationship to patriarchal culture.”

Place

ICA North Institute of Contemporary Art San Diego

1550 South El Camino Real, Encinitas

Whereas San Diego Art Institute focuses solely on regional artists, Lux Art Institute is more interested in artists from abroad. Artists have been brought in from countries including Colombia, Cuba, India, and Poland. Because artists are not local, Lux’s residency program includes an actual residence: invited artists “recognized nationally and internationally” live and work onsite. The current artist-in-residence is Siro Cugusi, from Italy. Cugusi has been in-studio since January 21, and his work — a large oil abstract painting that “responds to his temporary surroundings” at Lux, along with smaller works and accompanying studies — will continue to exhibit through Saturday, March 18.

Lux Art Institute hosts artist talks and workshops that aim to engage teens and adults in the community. For kids, there are camps, classes, and family events. There is also a Kids-in-Residence program for children aged 5–8, in which students are guided to create a range of art projects inspired by whichever artist is in residence at the time ($160 for members, $200 for guests).

Place

Artist Odyssey

1509 Encinitas Boulevard, Encinitas

Most residencies are limited, rarely lasting longer than three months. But there are some organizations, such as The Artist Odyssey, that offer artists studio space for an indefinite amount of time. The Artist Odyssey is a global network of filmmakers who document artists and provide lessons for arts educators. Their hub in North County houses several studios as well as a gallery. Artists often collaborate with each other and cohost exhibition events. Two of the current artists-in-residence are art teacher and painter Angela Jackson and skateboard photographer J. Grant Brittain. Each studio has glass windows, so visitors can get a peek at what’s happening within. The artists come and go as they please, but if you want to check out their studios (and possibly catch them at work) visits can be scheduled by emailing [email protected].

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Celebrate Holi, Borrego Springs Music Festival

Events March 23-March 27, 2024
Next Article

Coyote tracks in frail San Diego avocado grove

Second place winner in Reader neighborhood writing contest
Skateboard photographer J. Grant Brittain is an artist in residence at the Artist Odyssey in Encinitas.
Skateboard photographer J. Grant Brittain is an artist in residence at the Artist Odyssey in Encinitas.
Place

Bread & Salt

1955 Julian Avenue, San Diego

“Artist residences are about taking the time to explore your work in a new way,” says Melissa Walter, who is currently the artist-in-residence at Bread & Salt, “a gallery and experimental center for the arts.” From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, passersby can pop in and watch as Walter, who is also an illustrator for NASA, experiments with “ways to make the invisible visible.” She will be creating an installation piece that explores that mysterious stuff of the universe known as dark matter. One aspect of dark matter, she explains, is the fact that we can’t see it.

“We know it exists by how it affects the things around it, and one of those things is light — if we’re looking into space, if there’s a galaxy and stars behind dark matter, then all of a sudden the light from those stars and galaxies will completely bend. It’s almost like looking through a water glass and light bends the image. And that bending of the light is called gravitational lensing.”

Melissa Walter works as an illustrator for NASA.

This is Walter’s first time as a resident artist. “Most of the people who come through are other artists or creatives somehow associated with events in the building,” she says. “Having creatives come through wound up being, surprisingly, one of my favorite parts about residency — everybody’s really open to sharing their process and resources. I’ve been working from home forever, and even when I was in college I didn’t take up the studio spaces that were offered to artists. It’s been quite wonderful getting to be more collaborative.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

During Walter’s first week, another artist, Michael James Armstrong, happened by her studio and, after some discussion, suggested new materials, including mylar. “It’s like transparency paper, really pliable and interesting — it hadn’t been on my radar before, but now I’m excited to try and incorporate it.”

Though most of the people in and out of the Bread & Salt artist-in-residence studio are other artists, the space is open to the public. “I don’t mind people watching me,” Walter says, “but I definitely think I’m unusual in that a lot of artists I know are more interested in being solitary.”

Place

ICA Central San Diego Art Institute

1439 El Prado, San Diego

Fortunately for artists who’d rather not be watched as they work, there are more private residency programs, such as the one at the San Diego Art Institute. At the institute, artists receive a stipend ranging from $500 to $8000, depending on their project, and they work not at the Balboa Park location, but at the institute’s satellite location (141 Horton Plaza, Downtown), which is also where their finished pieces are exhibited to the public.

“I have actually found that artists hate [public] residencies,” says Ginger Shulick Porcella, executive director of the Art Institute. Porcella says that, typically, artists “just want to make work in private,” and that for artists who get accepted to the program, “The main benefit is being able to mount a solo exhibition, as well as the frequent visits with curators that we line up for artists-in-residence so that they get exposure in the larger art world outside of San Diego.”

The next exhibit, which opens March 31, will feature Noé Olivas, whose artwork “investigates the Mexican-American identity as a Californian” and “considers the relationship between labor/leisure as it fits into conceptions of femininity/masculinity, specifically by evaluating the myth of machismo and its relationship to patriarchal culture.”

Place

ICA North Institute of Contemporary Art San Diego

1550 South El Camino Real, Encinitas

Whereas San Diego Art Institute focuses solely on regional artists, Lux Art Institute is more interested in artists from abroad. Artists have been brought in from countries including Colombia, Cuba, India, and Poland. Because artists are not local, Lux’s residency program includes an actual residence: invited artists “recognized nationally and internationally” live and work onsite. The current artist-in-residence is Siro Cugusi, from Italy. Cugusi has been in-studio since January 21, and his work — a large oil abstract painting that “responds to his temporary surroundings” at Lux, along with smaller works and accompanying studies — will continue to exhibit through Saturday, March 18.

Lux Art Institute hosts artist talks and workshops that aim to engage teens and adults in the community. For kids, there are camps, classes, and family events. There is also a Kids-in-Residence program for children aged 5–8, in which students are guided to create a range of art projects inspired by whichever artist is in residence at the time ($160 for members, $200 for guests).

Place

Artist Odyssey

1509 Encinitas Boulevard, Encinitas

Most residencies are limited, rarely lasting longer than three months. But there are some organizations, such as The Artist Odyssey, that offer artists studio space for an indefinite amount of time. The Artist Odyssey is a global network of filmmakers who document artists and provide lessons for arts educators. Their hub in North County houses several studios as well as a gallery. Artists often collaborate with each other and cohost exhibition events. Two of the current artists-in-residence are art teacher and painter Angela Jackson and skateboard photographer J. Grant Brittain. Each studio has glass windows, so visitors can get a peek at what’s happening within. The artists come and go as they please, but if you want to check out their studios (and possibly catch them at work) visits can be scheduled by emailing [email protected].

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Coyote tracks in frail San Diego avocado grove

Second place winner in Reader neighborhood writing contest
Next Article

Why Unified® Review: What To Expect Dropshipping (Positive & Negative)

Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.