California Partnership for the Future of Learning Art Gallery
In Spring 2022, California Partnership for the Future of Learning commissioned nine artists from around California to create original work to spark the public’s ability to reimagine the power and potential of schools to be hubs of opportunity, healing, and learning for all. Working in a variety of mediums, our artist partners uplifted their dreams and visions for a racially just, relationship centered school system that meets the unique needs of every student, family, and community. This artwork is a powerful representation of the Partnership's campaign to Reimagine and Rebuild our schools so that every student, family, and educator thrives
Arleny Vargas is a Los Angeles based artist and educator. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Studio Art from Wellesley College in 2018. From an early age she has been interested in story telling and now seeks ways to use art as a medium to tell the stories of the communities she holds close to her heart. Her work primarily focuses on the intersections of culture, identity, and community with a strong emphasis on femininity.
Arleny Vargas, Los Angeles
@arlenyarielle
Who are my people?
My community is Boyle Heights. My community are the students and families I get to collaborate with every single day.
What are my hopes & dreams for education?
I dream of schools where children are considered more than just data. I hope for the schools in my community to be able to center the whole child and focus on student wellbeing before their academics. I long for classrooms that will center students voice and experiences and allow students to have agency over their learning.
Arleny Vargas is a Los Angeles based artist and educator. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Studio Art from Wellesley College in 2018. From an early age she has been interested in story telling and now seeks ways to use art as a medium to tell the stories of the communities she holds close to her heart. Her work primarily focuses on the intersections of culture, identity, and community with a strong emphasis on femininity.
Arleny Vargas, Los Angeles
@arlenyarielle
Who are my people?
My community is Boyle Heights. My community are the students and families I get to collaborate with every single day.
What are my hopes & dreams for education?
I dream of schools where children are considered more than just data. I hope for the schools in my community to be able to center the whole child and focus on student wellbeing before their academics. I long for classrooms that will center students voice and experiences and allow students to have agency over their learning.
Chamina Elise is a high school senior who moonlights as a digital artist in their free time. They’re a third-generation Filipino-American living in Santa Ana, where they grew up learning both English and Spanish in a dual-immersion K-8 school called El Sol Academy. After attending El Sol, they transferred to OCSA, an arts high school that is also in Santa Ana. There, they studied Digital Media amongst a variety of people from all over Orange County, an experience that helped them develop their artistic and racial identity. After their impending graduation from OCSA, they plan to move to New York on a scholarship in order to attend arts school. For more information, feel free to e-mail chamina.elise@gmail.com.
Chamina Elise (they/she), Santa Ana
@blewseas
Who are my people?
Santaneros, Fil-Ams in Southern California, queer people of color
What are my hopes & dreams for education?
I hope to see schools where the arts are accessible to everybody, regardless of race, class, gender, etc. Too often do I see schools that either deprioritize the arts as "impractical," or elevate the arts to a standard that is only accessible to rich white people. I believe that true art-- good art-- is created by worldly artists, artists who have engaged with the world around them and seen it as it is. Art is a powerful tool because it allows us to access our own collective humanity; a good community-based school would ideally encourage the growth of artists within its student body.
Download this art.
Eden Meseret (she/her), Fremont
I am a young Bay Area artist who loves to use my love for spoken word poetry to inspire others in my community. My christian faith, Eritrean culture, and family are three of the biggest factors influencing my life and my writing.
instagram: edenmese facebook: Eden Meseret
Who are my people?
My community is heavily influenced by my cultural Eritrean background which presents itself in the many aspects of my life from my family to church and work.
What dreams and hopes do you have for the schools in your community?
I hope that schools in my community could become more diverse and understanding to the various ways of learning, that schools could become more inclusive towards young students of color within the curriculum because people learn best when they feel represented through what is being taught.
Download coming soon.
Eden Meseret (she/her), Fremont
I am a young Bay Area artist who loves to use my love for spoken word poetry to inspire others in my community. My christian faith, Eritrean culture, and family are three of the biggest factors influencing my life and my writing.
instagram: edenmese facebook: Eden Meseret
Who are my people?
My community is heavily influenced by my cultural Eritrean background which presents itself in the many aspects of my life from my family to church and work.
What dreams and hopes do you have for the schools in your community?
I hope that schools in my community could become more diverse and understanding to the various ways of learning, that schools could become more inclusive towards young students of color within the curriculum because people learn best when they feel represented through what is being taught.
Jackie Fawn (she/her), Hogansburg
Jackie’s illustrative work is recognizable by her depictions of strong indigenous femme warriors protecting the land, water, and people. As a first time mom, she is in the process of finding balance between family and art.
IG: @jackiefawn @fishbearstudios
Who are my people?
I'm from the Yurok tribe in California and I'm finding community in my Partner's territory of Akwesasne, New York.
What dreams and hopes do you have for the schools in your community?
I hope to see education prepare our youth for the world outside of education in ways that everyone's histories and truth's are included.
Jackie Fawn (she/her), Hogansburg
Jackie’s illustrative work is recognizable by her depictions of strong indigenous femme warriors protecting the land, water, and people. As a first time mom, she is in the process of finding balance between family and art.
IG: @jackiefawn @fishbearstudios
Who are my people?
I'm from the Yurok tribe in California and I'm finding community in my Partner's territory of Akwesasne, New York.
What dreams and hopes do you have for the schools in your community?
I hope to see education prepare our youth for the world outside of education in ways that everyone's histories and truth's are included.
Jada Imani she/her, Oakland
Jada Imani is an East St. Louis-born, East Bay-raised artist and organizer. She has charted bold directions as a voice in Hip-Hop culture. As a community curator in Oakland, Jada began mobilizing with young artists and visionaries at the age of 15. Imani has collaborated with large entities like Adidas, the Oakland Museum of California, ACLU, and the GRAMMYs Recording Academy as a voting member, but her passion is in local arts and people power. Imani began a 6-month EP series during COVID lockdown as a tribute to Oakland’s First Friday tradition where Jada curated concerts every month for three and a half years.
IG: @@jadaimani510
Who are my people?
Black folks. Artists. Rebels. Teaching Artists. Curators. Healers. Free Thinkers.
What dreams and hopes do you have for the schools in your community?
I hope that we can totally reimagine schooling. I hope that we can maximize sunlight and fresh air. That we can adjust seating to be circular as opposed to rows. That the power dynamic between teacher and students can shift where everyone teaches and learns from each other.
I pray that we can learn all sides of the story when it comes to history and present-day situations. That we hear from folks on the ground all around the world. I pray school can be a place where people discover themselves and their gifts. I pray school can be a place where we learn the language to express the realities we know but don't have words for.
I pray school is a place where we eat good- organic, local foods and develop healthy habits and routines.
It's a place where there's a whole lot of music! A place where we get to curate our lifestyle. A place where ancient wisdom and modern technology can meet to better the quality of our lives. I pray that schools can be a place that we no longer fit into a culture or system- but understand how to shift culture and systems
Jada Imani she/her, Oakland
Jada Imani is an East St. Louis-born, East Bay-raised artist and organizer. She has charted bold directions as a voice in Hip-Hop culture. As a community curator in Oakland, Jada began mobilizing with young artists and visionaries at the age of 15. Imani has collaborated with large entities like Adidas, the Oakland Museum of California, ACLU, and the GRAMMYs Recording Academy as a voting member, but her passion is in local arts and people power. Imani began a 6-month EP series during COVID lockdown as a tribute to Oakland’s First Friday tradition where Jada curated concerts every month for three and a half years.
IG: @@jadaimani510
Who are my people?
Black folks. Artists. Rebels. Teaching Artists. Curators. Healers. Free Thinkers.
What dreams and hopes do you have for the schools in your community?
I hope that we can totally reimagine schooling. I hope that we can maximize sunlight and fresh air. That we can adjust seating to be circular as opposed to rows. That the power dynamic between teacher and students can shift where everyone teaches and learns from each other.
I pray that we can learn all sides of the story when it comes to history and present-day situations. That we hear from folks on the ground all around the world. I pray school can be a place where people discover themselves and their gifts. I pray school can be a place where we learn the language to express the realities we know but don't have words for.
I pray school is a place where we eat good- organic, local foods and develop healthy habits and routines.
It's a place where there's a whole lot of music! A place where we get to curate our lifestyle. A place where ancient wisdom and modern technology can meet to better the quality of our lives. I pray that schools can be a place that we no longer fit into a culture or system- but understand how to shift culture and systems
Joel Garcia (Huichol), East Los Angeles
IG: @rageone
Joel Garcia (Huichol) is an Indigenous artist and cultural organizer that uses Indigenous-based frameworks to center those most impacted, and arts-based strategies such as printmaking, installations, creative action, and altar-making to raise awareness of issues facing underserved communities, youth, and other targeted populations. In various roles, he has worked with Indigenous communities across borders in support of issues of land, access, and self-determination. His work explores healing and reconciliation, as well as memory and place. He previously served as Co-Director at Self Help Graphics & Art (‘10-’18) a nationally acclaimed arts organization and is the co-founder of Meztli Projects, an Indigenous-based arts & culture collaborative centering indigeneity into the creative practice of Los Angeles.
Joel is a fellow of Monument Lab and “Shaping the Past” (20-’21), a partnership between the Goethe-Institut, Monument Lab, and the German Federal Agency for Civic Education addressing pressing issues around what, whom, and how we remember our public spaces and communities.
His work has been shown in museums and covered by the national press centering on his lived experience, using it to bridge understanding between communities, while also deconstructing how we understand race, indigeneity, class, and other forms of identity for the purpose of supporting those most impacted.
Who are my people?
My communities are made up of folks who grew up in East Los Angeles many of which have been impacted by incarceration and poverty. Additionally, my larger community expands to include Native and Indigenous folks as well as artists and cultural workers and organizers.
What are my hopes & dreams for education?
I was a kid who was in gifted class starting in the 1st grade, but simply being in those classes didn't provide me the ecosystem needed to flourish academically. It wasn't much later in life that I heard the term Gifted-At-Risk. I knew what At-Risk meant and how it comes with a deficit minded approach and in my work, I've been one of the folks here in LA that has helped popularized the term "At-Promise." A term I learned from folks in Chicago. So when I learned this term Gifted-At-Risk, my experience in school made sense. No where did I see a reflection of myself in school grounds, curricula, etc. But one instance stands out. In California students in 3rd grade learn about the Mission System, but my 3rd Grade Teacher Ms. Matsusami taught us about the parallel between the Missions and the Japanese Internment Camps. She then asked us to research historical Native American people. It was then in learning about Geronimo that I saw myself connected to the world. But that also created a level of contempt towards things. And that's where the Gifted-At-Risk framing made sense. I was too aware and too smart and school was not challenging me in any way. By high school I could ditch attend Friday to take quizzes and still pass my classes. I hope that schools in my community can better reflect back the world students live in and authentically teach and support students' development. This can be done through murals in school that offer teachable opportunities, or art in classrooms that spark critical thinking. I know many teachers take this on themselves, but that is not enough. This has to be school-wide, intentional and guided in partnership with Tribal Communities.
Joel Garcia (Huichol), East Los Angeles
IG: @rageone
Joel Garcia (Huichol) is an Indigenous artist and cultural organizer that uses Indigenous-based frameworks to center those most impacted, and arts-based strategies such as printmaking, installations, creative action, and altar-making to raise awareness of issues facing underserved communities, youth, and other targeted populations. In various roles, he has worked with Indigenous communities across borders in support of issues of land, access, and self-determination. His work explores healing and reconciliation, as well as memory and place. He previously served as Co-Director at Self Help Graphics & Art (‘10-’18) a nationally acclaimed arts organization and is the co-founder of Meztli Projects, an Indigenous-based arts & culture collaborative centering indigeneity into the creative practice of Los Angeles.
Joel is a fellow of Monument Lab and “Shaping the Past” (20-’21), a partnership between the Goethe-Institut, Monument Lab, and the German Federal Agency for Civic Education addressing pressing issues around what, whom, and how we remember our public spaces and communities.
His work has been shown in museums and covered by the national press centering on his lived experience, using it to bridge understanding between communities, while also deconstructing how we understand race, indigeneity, class, and other forms of identity for the purpose of supporting those most impacted.
Who are my people?
My communities are made up of folks who grew up in East Los Angeles many of which have been impacted by incarceration and poverty. Additionally, my larger community expands to include Native and Indigenous folks as well as artists and cultural workers and organizers.
What are my hopes & dreams for education?
I was a kid who was in gifted class starting in the 1st grade, but simply being in those classes didn't provide me the ecosystem needed to flourish academically. It wasn't much later in life that I heard the term Gifted-At-Risk. I knew what At-Risk meant and how it comes with a deficit minded approach and in my work, I've been one of the folks here in LA that has helped popularized the term "At-Promise." A term I learned from folks in Chicago. So when I learned this term Gifted-At-Risk, my experience in school made sense. No where did I see a reflection of myself in school grounds, curricula, etc. But one instance stands out. In California students in 3rd grade learn about the Mission System, but my 3rd Grade Teacher Ms. Matsusami taught us about the parallel between the Missions and the Japanese Internment Camps. She then asked us to research historical Native American people. It was then in learning about Geronimo that I saw myself connected to the world. But that also created a level of contempt towards things. And that's where the Gifted-At-Risk framing made sense. I was too aware and too smart and school was not challenging me in any way. By high school I could ditch attend Friday to take quizzes and still pass my classes. I hope that schools in my community can better reflect back the world students live in and authentically teach and support students' development. This can be done through murals in school that offer teachable opportunities, or art in classrooms that spark critical thinking. I know many teachers take this on themselves, but that is not enough. This has to be school-wide, intentional and guided in partnership with Tribal Communities.
"This poem is a statement of who you are as a student in the world, this poem takes a creative look on what students want for themselves and how in every form of life there is a movement that flows and as a student, what they want to be able to see/feel when attending a public school."
Krystal Jimenez she/her, Anaheim
IG: @krystaljimenez.714
In a Reality that comes and goes change is the biggest thing we fear, but why fear change if in return it brings us together. Bigger then we could ever imagine change is a fate we must face for the equality of each other and I for one am a person of change. With all fears aside and with one goal in mind the biggest art I see is what is brought to the surface and spoken about. Let us form our own reality and together as students bring an impactful change to the world that we call our own, for all students and all opportunities. From being a girl with big plans but not much to say, now I believe the only fair thing is to provide with what isn’t spoken aloud and bring on a motion that’s bigger than we could have thought.
Who are my people?
My people are Hispanics from different areas, no matter neglected or spoken for, my community ranges from the people who do right and are unspoken.
What are my hopes & dreams for education?
My dreams and hopes for community schools are to have that balance in which students from all over no matter who they are can have a chance to be themselves without having a fear of being put down, I hope that in some way community schools can see the way of coming together and not only rise with up coming years but to also find a similarity in all differences.
"This poem takes a lot of thought on comparing a students feelings to things around them also mentioning a line. This line brought into the poem is about the boundary that students set for themselves but instead of having this boundary it goes more into the reality that the line can disappear only when students are able to see the body which forms all of them together."
Krystal Jimenez she/her, Anaheim
IG: @krystaljimenez.714
In a Reality that comes and goes change is the biggest thing we fear, but why fear change if in return it brings us together. Bigger then we could ever imagine change is a fate we must face for the equality of each other and I for one am a person of change. With all fears aside and with one goal in mind the biggest art I see is what is brought to the surface and spoken about. Let us form our own reality and together as students bring an impactful change to the world that we call our own, for all students and all opportunities. From being a girl with big plans but not much to say, now I believe the only fair thing is to provide with what isn’t spoken aloud and bring on a motion that’s bigger than we could have thought.
Who are my people?
My people are Hispanics from different areas, no matter neglected or spoken for, my community ranges from the people who do right and are unspoken.
What are my hopes & dreams for education?
My dreams and hopes for community schools are to have that balance in which students from all over no matter who they are can have a chance to be themselves without having a fear of being put down, I hope that in some way community schools can see the way of coming together and not only rise with up coming years but to also find a similarity in all differences.
My name is Nakeo Marez, and I am 16 years old. I am from the Central Valley, CA, and am part of many communities! I am half Laotian and half Mexican, so I am a part of both Hispanic and SE Asian culture. I've been drawing for many years, and I hope that my illustrations for the CA Partnership accurately represent the great vision for our California schools.
Nakeo they/them, Fresno, CA
ghostkalei(insta/twt/tiktok) nnan.nakeo(insta)
Who are my people?
My people are people and students of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and members of the disabled community.
What are my hopes & dreams for education?
I hope that our communities become places of change, of acceptance, and of equality. I dream that our California education system, and eventually the education system in its entirety, can become hubs for diversity and learning.
Artist statement on artwork
These artworks are meant to highlight those who should be valued and recognized by the education system. More importantly, it's meant to show that these individuals deserve such acknowledgment. The focus is on accessible education and community; the appreciation of both those currently within the education system and those who are not. Individuals like parents, siblings, or friends of students, who grow and learn together as time goes on. The creation of a legacy of learning, that, despite the circumstances of those who came before them, the student will become knowledgeable, understanding, and willing to learn. Moreover, the change of educational environments to turn them into places where these legacies can be achieved by anyone, under any circumstance. That anyone, whether they be physically impaired or mentally disabled, whether they be of low economic status or first generation, deserves to have access to high-quality education without struggle. My artworks, in their entireties, are meant to show the ideal education system, one without systemic inequality or great borders.
My name is Nakeo Marez, and I am 16 years old. I am from the Central Valley, CA, and am part of many communities! I am half Laotian and half Mexican, so I am a part of both Hispanic and SE Asian culture. I've been drawing for many years, and I hope that my illustrations for the CA Partnership accurately represent the great vision for our California schools.
Nakeo they/them, Fresno, CA
ghostkalei(insta/twt/tiktok) nnan.nakeo(insta)
Who are my people?
My people are people and students of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and members of the disabled community.
What are my hopes & dreams for education?
I hope that our communities become places of change, of acceptance, and of equality. I dream that our California education system, and eventually the education system in its entirety, can become hubs for diversity and learning.
Artist statement on artwork
These artworks are meant to highlight those who should be valued and recognized by the education system. More importantly, it's meant to show that these individuals deserve such acknowledgment. The focus is on accessible education and community; the appreciation of both those currently within the education system and those who are not. Individuals like parents, siblings, or friends of students, who grow and learn together as time goes on. The creation of a legacy of learning, that, despite the circumstances of those who came before them, the student will become knowledgeable, understanding, and willing to learn. Moreover, the change of educational environments to turn them into places where these legacies can be achieved by anyone, under any circumstance. That anyone, whether they be physically impaired or mentally disabled, whether they be of low economic status or first generation, deserves to have access to high-quality education without struggle. My artworks, in their entireties, are meant to show the ideal education system, one without systemic inequality or great borders.
Ness Ilene Garza (They/she), Riverside / Weed
Made from the clay of Riverside mixed with the gravel of Fresno. Refined in Santa Cruz and San Francisco. Currently living in Weed. California shapes my stories. After graduating from John W North in Riverside, I received a B.A. in studio art with a focus on printmaking at UC Santa Cruz. When I moved back to Riverside access to print studios was nonexistent so I turned to making comics while working in various warehouses throughout the Inland Empire. I’ve been making autobiographical comics for the past 7 years that focus on mental health, identity, politics and education. I believe visual storytelling is one of the best communicative tools that transcends language and self reflective art expands our understanding of the human condition. The best thing about comics is all you need is a pen, paper, and a moment of time. Anyone can make them and the more people who do, the more diverse storytelling becomes and I want to live in a world where everyone is heard and seen. I recently completed an MFA in Comics at California College of the Arts in 2021.
@badhandscomics
Who are your people?
My people are the people of the Inland Empire. No matter where I live the Inland Empire is the community I care for.
What dreams and hopes do you have for the schools in your community?
I hope that all students get the same opportunities and access to tools from county to county and even school to school within the district regardless of the tax brackets of their respective neighborhoods. For example if one school has an amazing football field, a TV production class and a computer lab, then all schools within that district should have these features. I dream that police and policing actions towards students and their parents will come to and end and school will have enough funds to hire staff that can support students rather than punish for various complications outside of school that may make them late or unable to attend.
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