Arts District Liberty Station has a new group of resident artists for 2025-26 under its Emerging Artist program that awards young creators free workspace and professional support for six months to nearly a year.
The eight new residents are visual artists Eden DeLaVara, Ana Saad, Marcela Alarcon Lopez and Audrey Gingras and dance artists Lilian Ibarra Pantoja, Rachel Torres, Miguel Angel Galvan and Giovanna Francisco.
The Arts District has run the program for the past seven years “to give emerging artists an opportunity to see what it is like to have your own studio and manage it,” said Arts District President and Chief Executive Lisa Johnson. “They interact with the public, decorate their studio and create in their space.”
The residents work across media such as sculpture, dance, fiber, painting and more and are selected by a board of career artists out of hundreds of applicants.
“We consider artists from Baja up through Oceanside,” Johnson said. “We have a group that works with selecting the visual artists and another group selecting the choreographers. Artists submit portfolios and eventually the entries are narrowed down and they go through an interview process and are selected by our Art in Public Places Committee.”
Once accepted, residents are connected with Gaby Quevedo, an artist and program director who assists them with converting creative ideas to an exhibition showcasing their work.
“Maybe residents need guidance on how to do technical things like promoting their work,” Johnson said. “Maybe they would like help on utilizing social media or starting monetary fundraising.”
The Art in Public Places Committee also assists by lending experience and advice.
“Just lending artists a room for six months and then putting someone else in there after is not what we do,” Johnson said. “There are opportunities that arise by being there in that community. A lot of the businesses are interested in supporting emerging artists.”
Here’s a look at the eight people in the 2025-26 Emerging Artist group:
Eden DeLaVara
The visual artist is a San Diego native specializing in figurative painting and drawing. Her abstract work draws inspiration from her Mexican American and Black identities.
Eden DeLaVara (Arts District Liberty Station)
With her residency, which runs through December, DeLaVara is exploring the legacy of African American quilting with contemporary painting and fiber art.
“I first started exploring my own creativity around middle school,” DeLaVara said. “I really enjoyed capturing the human spirit. I have drawn a lot for inspiration from artistic movements along the border. During this residency, I am very eager to produce a body of work that is life-size or larger. I will also be painting a mural across the border at a migrant camp.”
Marcela Alarcon Lopez
The Tijuana-based visual artist has been practicing since 2019. She’s formally trained as a psychotherapist but said she always knew her inkling for creativity was worth exploring.
Marcela Alarcon Lopez (Arts District Liberty Station)
When she began creating pictorial and sculptural work, she drew on her early life growing up between different states and countries.
“I have combined my artistic curiosity with my clinical and psychological experience and learned a lot while working in Tijuana and also through educational programs in San Ysidro for emerging artists,” Lopez said. “This residency will be very interesting, and I feel so fortunate.”
Her residency continues through December.
Ana Saad
The San Diego-based visual artist works primarily in ceramics and fibers. Drawing inspiration from queer identities and human nature, Saad hopes to further develop artistically and deepen a sense of community with fellow creatives.
Ana Saad (Arts District Liberty Station)
“Once I fell in love with it, I knew there was something in art I needed to pursue,” Saad said. “I added an art major onto my business major and have been doing that for the past two or so years. … My residency will be primarily fiber-based work, which I am very excited for.”
Saad’s residency will run January through June.
Audrey Gingras
The University of San Diego graduate uses sculpture and installations to create a blend of the physical and spiritual worlds. Her use of stained and fused glass, ceramics and steel welding explores transience and ritual.
Audrey Gingras (Arts District Liberty Station)
“I decided to major in art in college, where I began work that interoperates the space between the physical world and that of the spirit,” she said. “This is such a valuable opportunity to work in a designated space. They value interpretation and experimentation.”
Gingras’ residency is January through June.
Miguel Angel Galvan
The San Diego-based dancer and choreographer uses movement as a form of creative expression and exploration.
Miguel Angel Galvan (Arts District Liberty Station)
He studied dance at UC San Diego and has trained at studios across San Diego and Los Angeles. Through street and contemporary forms of dance, Galvan views movement as a means to connect with fellow creatives and offer inspiration.
Giovanna Francisco
The movement artist is formally trained in ballet and contemporary techniques but also draws inspiration from the ability to improvise freely, removing the need for regimented and premeditated motion.
Giovanna Francisco (Arts District Liberty Station)
“I love to improvise. It reminds me to honor the present and give in to my artistic urges,” Francisco said. “A lot of my process also includes collaboration and bringing people together to create something that only exists in that moment.
“At this point, I identify deeply with the term ’emerging.’ It embodies a sense of growth. I hope to always be growing as an artist.”
Lilian Ibarra Pantoja
The dance artist began her creative journey in Tijuana and has since blended her heritage with traditional dance forms such as ballet and contemporary to create multidisciplinary movement pieces.
Lilian Ibarra Pantoja (Arts District Liberty Station)
Pantoja’s professional experience includes work as a teaching artist with Liberty School, an Arts District program that aims to provide access to arts education for local school-age children considered underserved.
“This Arts District is where I realized I wanted to do this professionally,” Pantoja said. “My exhibition will be very special because I am working with three of my former students who I taught at my first studio in Chula Vista.
“My biggest goal is to have a multidisciplinary performance in the spring in which I will collaborate with visual artists. That will be a celebration of multicultural aspects of working and living at the border, collaborating with artists on both sides.”
Rachel Torres
Torres graduated from UC San Diego with a degree in literature and a minor in dance. Through her academic and professional training, Torres has worked in several San Diego-based dance communities.
Rachel Torres (Arts District Liberty Station)
She teaches youth and adult modern classes at Malashock Dance at Liberty Station and said she is thrilled to be in a dedicated workspace where she anticipates working with fellow dancers and artists.
All the dance artists have 11-month residencies continuing to May.
See the artists in action
With most of the residencies already underway, Johnson urged the public to take in what each emerging artist has to offer.
“Go explore. Meet these people and see their work,” she said.
Arts District Liberty Station is at 2820 Roosevelt Road, Point Loma. For more information, visit artsdistrictlibertystation.org/emerging-artist.