It has always been my dream to create a community art space where all would feel welcome and have access to affordable arts experiences. From a 600 square foot space that opened in 2018, Studio ACE has now grown to over 2100 square feet of space that houses the ACE Studio Classroom, the ACE Art Shop (carrying the work of local artists), and now the ACE Gallery! Truly, it was a labor of community love to get to where we are today!
While the purpose of the ACE Gallery is to exhibit work by students and professionals alike, its main purpose is to help support the arts programming for Studio ACE. Studio ACE provides low-cost, high-quality art classes for students of all abilities and ages, from toddlers to seniors, including free arts programming for neurodivergent children, teens, and adults. ACE also partners with a number of programs to benefit under-resourced communities, and participates in local fairs and festivals, providing free family-friendly art projects to complement the theme of each event. Proceeds from the sale of all artworks exhibited in the ACE Gallery will not only benefit the exhibiting artists but will also directly help ACE to continue to fulfill its mission to enrich lives through Arts, Community, and Education.
For ACE Gallery’s inaugural show, we chose to invite artists who have helped bring ACE to where it is today, and who will help propel ACE into its bright future. We have an amazing community of artists who have most definitely shared their love with ACE, and we want to thank them for it, and share the love right back! Exhibiting artists were asked to submit artwork that has a specific meaning or value that they want to share with the viewers; most are personal experiences translated into artwork. Some of the artists in this exhibition have been with ACE since its beginning and some have only recently begun sharing their talents and artwork with us. Artists included in this show are:
Bob Boon - Volunteer since 2018
Wanda Brown - Operations Manager for Studio ACE since 2023
Margaret Chiaro - Arts Instructor and Volunteer since 2018
Theresa Fullmer - Volunteer, Arts Instructor and Volunteer Coordinator since 2019
Michele Gorcey - Shop Vendor since 2022
Yolanda Gutierrez - Shop Vendor and Arts Instructor since 2022
Blake Kern - Shop Vendor since 2020
Mikey Kettinger - Arts Instructor since 2023
Quantal Langford - Arts Instructor and Shop Vendor since 2019
Kene Lohmann - Arts Instructor since 2018
Melissa Nabulsi - Shop Vendor, Volunteer and Social Media Coordinator since 2022
Kathleen Ossiander - Volunteer since 2022
Erick Perez - Shop Manager since 2024
Barbara Runge - Volunteer since 2023
Allison Taylor - Arts Instructor since 2019
Larry Vogel - Volunteer since 2023
Besides thanking the wonderful artists listed above, I also want to thank all of ACE’s staff, with special thanks to Lindsey Dezelan, ACE’s Lead Arts Instructor and Studio Manager since 2022, for coordinating the corresponding student art show, and Mitzi Summers for all her behind the scenes work.
A big thank you also goes to local Oceanside artist Michael Summers who painted the most amazing mural and permanent artwork at ACE, Be Kind, which you can find in our classroom. It guides us every step of the way.
The biggest thank you goes to Kay Colvin, ACE’s new Gallery Coordinator, for making this exhibition come together. Her contributions have been invaluable. As for anything that may look a little off, well, you can blame that on me!
Julia Fister
Founder & Executive Director
Studio ACE
On View February 24 – April 13, 2024
