How ace began

Studio ACE’s history began in 2016 with coffee and crepes between Julia Fister, current Executive Director, and Karen B. Kahn, former Finance Director and Advisory Board Member. A one-hour breakfast turned into a five-hour brain storming session establishing Studio ACE - a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing arts opportunities for the North County San Diego community, with a mission to enrich lives through Arts, Community, and Education.

Officially opening its doors in 2018, Studio ACE has a history that goes beyond its founding. Julia’s passion for Arts Education stems back to 2010 when she began volunteering at Oceanside Museum of Art and saw what the power of art can do for people of all ages. 

Julia Fister, a St. Louis, Missouri native, graduated from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and from Fontbonne University in St. Louis with a Bachelor’s Degree in Art. After an early career in investment banking and several years as a graphic designer, Julia arrived at Oceanside Museum of Art (OMA) as a volunteer after completing a Master’s Degree in Art History at San Diego State University. Julia was soon hired by OMA to create and direct an Education Program for 5th graders, later titled ArtQuest, and within six years, the program grew to serve over 7,000 students from Oceanside and the surrounding areas. Moving into the role of Director of Education at OMA, Julia oversaw ArtQuest and created a robust Education Department, serving both children and adults. During her 6 1/2 year tenure, she created a summer camp program, increased the Free Family Art Day attendance to over 5,000 family members a year from 600, revamped the museum’s Docent Program, increased the Artist Alliance from 15% to 25 % of membership, created OMA’s first on-site art classroom, and was instrumental in developing and creating OMA’s first international traveling exhibition. Following OMA, Julia worked as an education specialist for the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, where she revamped and created new educational programming for the museum.

What was most impactful for Julia during her museum work was experiencing the importance of art in a student’s life. Julia states, “I saw first hand how even 75 minutes in an arts program could effect a child’s life, to see the change in their faces while looking at art exhibitions or completing their creative project. The importance of the arts has been proven over and over again in study after study, but I saw it in action. Students themselves donated pennies and quarters and dollars so that future students could have the same opportunity they had because they loved the program so much. Students who were designated as having ‘issues’ never had a problem at the museum. Art gave them, as well as their classmates, a chance to explore a different side of the brain.” When Julia encountered former students, she found that the impact of the art experience and opportunity to participate in an arts program lingered with them. They remembered and they talked about their art visit as though it was yesterday.

Julia’s says her passion for providing arts opportunities for students and families will always burn bright. She states, “I am not the first to recognize that the arts are a common language for all humanity and I will do everything in my power to see that our students and this community have access to the arts.” Witnessing the positive impact of arts education in people’s lives, Julia followed her passion and founded Studio ACE, which continues to serve the Oceanside community and beyond.

How ACE Does It

Studio ACE now provides an array of offerings beyond what began as a dream in 2016:

1. At the brick and mortar studio space, located at 3861 Mission Ave. (next to the Mission Branch of the Library), ACE offers art classes for Toddlers to Seniors. No matter your skill level, you can learn to draw, paint, watercolor and dive into your imagination and creativity with a variety of classes. Camps are offered for kids 6-12, and there are donation-based Art Exploration workshops on Sundays. Art classes for kids 12 and under are always only $5! ACE strives to provide quality art instruction that is affordable and accessible.

2. In 2019, ACE began offering a free program for adults with developmental disabilities, and is proud to say this vital programming continues to grow!

3. The signature children’s programming of Studio ACE is ArtsConnect, which brings critical programming to underserved schools by infusing the arts into Common Core subjects, such as math, language arts, science, and literacy. This, in turn, enhances the student-learning experience in collaboration with teachers. The program integrates at least two of the arts (music, movement, performance, visual art) and imparts communication, critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity elements in order to awaken a living, transformative learning experience.

4. ACE proudly continues to collaborate with community organizations to provide free art experiences at fairs and festivals throughout North County, with long-standing relationships with organizations such as Oceanside Firefighters Association, Oceanside Cultural Arts Foundation, Buena Vista Audubon Nature Center, Green Oceanside, and Heritage Park. In 2019, Studio ACE also provided art experiences at the Samoan and Filipino Festival, as well as the Alley Art Festival in Vista.

Why The Arts Are Important

As Dana Gioia, former Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, said in a commencement speech at Stanford, “The true purpose of arts education is not necessarily to create more professional dancers or artists. [It’s] to create more complete human beings who are critical thinkers, who have curious minds, who can lead productive lives.” This is the goal for Studio ACE and with your help, we can make it happen!