Sparks Gallery

Sparks Gallery is pleased to host an exhibition of photographic prints made by local students who are enrolled in Juvenile Court Community Schools and mentored by the AjA Project's Teaching Artists. The back patio of the gallery will feature a participatory photo art installation entitled "Let Me Tell You My Name", which will present images speaking to identity and stereotypes. Students were asked to analyze their personal and social landscapes, highlighting the importance of their individual selves, rather than a perceived stereotype, and present the images to the public to view in large scale. The AjA Project is a nonprofit organization headquartered in San Diego. Since its founding, AjA has provided long-term, community-based programming for over 3500 individuals, and has shared visual narratives with over 3 million viewers through large-scale public exhibits. AjA's mission is to provide photography-based programming to transform the lives of youth and communities. The AjA project exists to ignite change, break cycles of marginalization and to build healthy communities. Along with the participatory installation, several students have created photographic works which explore identity, stereotyping, and community. The exhibition is titled, "How We See", and will be on view from June 4 - July 7.

The Oceanside Museum of Art has an affiliate group of membership called "Artist Alliance". Membership in Artist Alliance provides opportunities for interaction, visibility and growth for artists in the region. Sparks Gallery is pleased to host the latest exhibition of artwork from artists in the Artist Alliance group who are located in Southern California. 27 pieces from the Artist Alliance members were juried into the exhibition by Sparks Gallery owner & chief curator Sonya Sparks. The artwork will be on display at Sparks Gallery from April 27 – July 7, 2019. All works are for sale and directly support the local artists in the Artist Alliance group. Sonya Sparks explains her curatorial vision for this exhibit: "While there were many different themes in the works submitted for this show, I found myself drawn towards pieces which feature the artist's observation of human encounters with nature, as well as those that show our social encounters with one another. These themes served as a guide for my selections. Some works are traditionally crafted, while others are abstract or surreal."

Sparks Gallery is pleased to announce new featured works by San Diego artist James Hubbell for a new show, "The Space Between". Hubbell will be exhibiting works in a variety of mediums: sculpture, drawings, paintings, and mixed media.