Facilitation + Curation / Desert Fellowship
Facilitation + curation of community-centered artist residency program.
I founded and facilitated Blue Sky Center’s flagship community-centered artist residency program, the Desert Fellowship. Collaborating with youth, community members, local small businesses, our local library, the T1 Cuyama Valley School District, and our visiting artists, I led and developed youth-driven arts programming for Cuyama Valley’s schools and community spaces. See images below from Desert Fellows Mayela Rodriguez and Claudia Borfiga’s three-week residencies.
Desert Fellow Mayela Rodriguez prepares for a cartonera-making workshop with help from a Cuyama Elementary School student.
View of the opening exhibition for "Cuyama Cartonera" in culmination of Desert Fellow Mayela Rodriguez' residency.
A young artist adds their contribution to the suggestions for the community art gallery at the "Cuyama Cartonera" exhibition. During her residency, Mayela refurbished the old National Forest Service display case connected to the town market to create the community gallery, "Art From the Heart," as voted on by community members at the final event.
A Cuyama Valley High School student holds up a screenprinted poster they made as part of a screenprinting workshop led by Desert Fellow Claudia Borfiga.
A Cuyama Elementary School student holds up a screenprinted shirt made with Desert Fellow Claudia Borfiga, featuring the artwork of Cuyama Elementary School students in a workshop led by visiting artist Eric Junker.
A student cleans a screen as part of Desert Fellow Claudia Borfiga's after-school, 3-week screenprinting class hosted at the Cuyama Valley Rec Center.
Students raise their pens while drawing with Desert Fellow Claudia Borfiga during their after-school, 3-week screenprinting class hosted at the Cuyama Valley Rec Center.
Community members screenprint bandanas at an all-ages evening event led by Desert Fellow Claudia Borfiga.
Desert Fellow Claudia Borfiga screenprints her final project, a multi-layer zine compiling her experiences leading "pattern hunting" walks and classes with youth and adults over the course of her residency.