Located in the Sterling Hardware Building in the Gaslamp Quarter District of downtown San Diego, Sparks Gallery is a contemporary art gallery and serves as a premier mid-sized event venue for both public and private gatherings.

Our Mission

In the 1880s, as San Diego began to flourish, the "Stingaree" district was a place of wild reputation, where visitors were "stung" by the area’s vices as surely as by the stingrays in the nearby bay. Just across the street, lawman Wyatt Earp frequented the Tivoli Bar, watching the city grow into its own.

By 1924, our historic building rose to meet a need: utility. For nearly a century, our walls housed the Sterling Hardware Company, providing physical tools and materials, serving as a mainstay for the families and businesses that built San Diego from the ground up.

As the current stewards of this historic space, we recognize that while the city has been built, our need for meaningful connection has only grown. In a world often blurred by a digital fog, the tools we need today are no longer industrial… they are experiential. We have reimagined this space not just as a landmark, but as a cultural nexus. 

Our mission is to bridge the gap between the historic roots of the venue and today’s need for true connection. 

We believe in the transformative power of art to provoke thought and enrich lives. By fostering genuine interaction, we provide a breath of fresh air for the spirit. We stand for art that is accessible and purposeful: locally crafted by hand, never in a factory. Through curated exhibitions and artistic activations, we offer a platform where Southern California’s most innovative voices can be heard and celebrated.

With a focus on surreal, abstract, and impressionistic artwork, the gallery curates towards emotive works with strong narratives, in genres ranging from portraiture, figurative, and landscape, to biophillic and conceptual. 

We serve art appreciators and collectors who are inspired by the beauty and energy of contemporary craft in their space. 

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Acerca de Sparks Gallery

Sparks Gallery exhibe y vende obras de arte contemporáneo original, en diferentes medios, principalmente de artistas talentosos del sur de California.

Sparks Gallery muestra exhibiciones colectivas e individuales, curadas por la propietaria de la galería (Sonya Sparks). Con un enfoque en obras de arte surrealistas e impresionistas, la galería selecciona obras innovadoras en temas que van del retrato a la figuración, hasta el paisaje y lo conceptual.

Sparks Gallery busca promocionar el talento artístico en la región, sirviendo como nexo creativo, y así crear un dialogo con la comunidad. Para mayores informes o para agendar una cita privada por favor de comunicarse con Natalie Gonzalez al correo natalie@sparksgallery.com

The Sparks Gallery Team

Sonya Sparks

Sonya Sparks is the owner and chief curator at Sparks Gallery. Sonya studied art in conjunction with obtaining her Bachelor's degree in Business Administration at the University of San Diego.

Sonya founded Sparks Gallery in 2013 to encourage the patronage of local artists, support local art groups and institutions, and to educate the public about Southern California artists. Sonya has curated exhibitions for multiple organizations, including, but not limited to: the Oceanside Museum of Art Artist Alliance, Allied Craftsmen of San Diego, Cannon Art Gallery (Carlsbad, CA), and the Escondido Arts Partnership.

As an inducted member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honor Society, Sonya champions ethical business leadership.

Sonya is the founder of GatewayToGalleries.com, a membership for artists to get into galleries and refine their marketing materials. 

 

Levi Distaso

Levi (he/ him) earned his English degree and studied writing and art history in his home state of New York. After moving to San Diego, he became interested in the local art scene while working at the San Diego Museum of Art.

Starting in 2015, he served as Director of Catering and Events for a local plant-based food company. He now strives to use his educational background to help build community through visual arts while helping to organize and plan events at Sparks Gallery.

 

Natalie Gonzalez

Natalie Gonzalez (she/her) joined Sparks Gallery as the Outreach Coordinator in August 2022. She is an arts advocate, cultural promoter, and exhibitions coordinator. Born in Los Angeles and raised mainly in Mexico, she earned her B. A. in Arts and Cultural Management from Universidad de Guadalajara in Mexico.

Natalie has been an active international art promoter for 15 years, organizing art exhibitions in Europe and Mexico. Her passion in life is to make art more accessible to our society, help Southern Californians develop their creativity, and instill a sense of community surrounding these activities.

 

 

Barry Wilson

Barry received his B.S., M.S., and PhD. degrees in the biological sciences and immunology from the University of Illinois. After Eighteen years as a scientist and educator in cancer research at The Scripps Research Institute, University of Michigan Medical School and Hybritech, Inc., Barry obtained a law degree from University of San Diego and worked as a patent attorney in various law firms (until 2013).

Barry is the President and co-owner of a real-estate investment company which owns the Sterling Hardware Building (Sparks Gallery), among others. After his role as a co-general contractor for the adaptive reuse of the property into an art gallery, Barry continues to manage the property and volunteers at the gallery.