Why this matters
The new hub will provide a space and help local artists who say they must travel elsewhere to connect with other artists and present their work in exhibitions, galleries and other spaces.
A “beacon” to the arts now sits near the heart of Chula Vista.
City officials last month celebrated the opening of Casa Casillas, their first dedicated art space meant for the public to enjoy exhibitions, attend workshops and watch local artists in person.
It also offers a six-month residence program, providing artists a studio of their own and a $1,000 monthly stipend.
Erwin Magbanua, the city’s principal librarian and cultural arts manager, said the new center is meant to show Chula Vista’s dedication to the arts.
“This was one step toward that kind of dream,” he said.
The center was an idea from former Chula Vista Mayor Mary Salas and is the namesake of Salas’ late mother and local artist, Paula Casillas.
The center, housed in what was once a YMCA building, was the byproduct of available space, extra government funds and the motivation to keep local artists in Chula Vista.
“One of the things that we always hear from local artists is that they always have to go out of Chula Vista to exhibits to show their art,” Magbanua said.
The residency includes two artists, both residents of Chula Vista. Their work is displayed in the Casa Casillas gallery and could soon be displayed in any of the city’s three libraries or other public facilities.
The center plans to hold an exhibit at the end of the residency and will again open applications for the next round.
“We want this to be a beacon to artists and the arts,” Magbanua said. “We are here to really support you and embrace what you all do, especially the local artists, especially South Bay artists.”
Magbanua said that the artists in residence are meant to act as the ambassadors of the value of art. “It’s for mental health, it’s for raising awareness of the environment, it’s for if you’re interested in social issues,” he said. “Art addresses that.”
Meet the artists
Melissa Salgado
When she was as young as 7, Melissa “Melicha” Salgado would sketch out little portraits of guests that visited her home.
“That was like my present,” the Chula Vista artist said. “I have always drawn people, since I was young.”
Typically Salgado is an oil and acrylic painter whose art dives into topics of vulnerability, loss and family. But for the past two years, Salgado hasn’t created a new piece of work due to some losses of her own and a painful divorce.
After applying for Casa Casillas’ residency, Salgado is now paid for her art, has access to her own maker space and hopes to soon start instructing workshops for portraiture.
“This opportunity was really great for me. I have a place to create new work, with new life experience that I have now gained,” Salgado said. “It feels like a very neutral safe space to start creating.”
Salgado said she often feels a sense of imposter syndrome when it comes to her residency, but that she still feels positively about reemerging into the art space.
She hopes to continue some of her old series and process some of her personal journey over the past couple of years.
“Feeling like I was no longer an artist or no longer in the art scene, having this opportunity really feels like a new beginning for my pieces,” she said.
Salgado said she’s grateful to present her art where she lives. In the past, she has had to travel to parts of San Diego, like downtown and Barrio Logan, for exhibitions and art walks.
During her time at Casa Casillas, she aims to portray her emotional growth through her art and hopes that others are inspired to explore art in a similar way.
Her work represents a lot of feelings of nostalgia tied to her Mexican American heritage. Some of her pieces include her grandparents and other loved ones.
“This will create that culture to start thriving and nurture the artists that are already here,” Salgado said of the residency.
“I think it’s great for the future of the arts and culture community in Chula Vista.”
German Rojas
German Rojas’ movement-focused, uniquely colored pieces capture a sense of psychedelic surrealism and rebellious variability.
His art is mainly inspired by his Latino heritage, queer culture, loved ones, sustainability and politics.
“It’s honestly just everything I enjoy in life,” Rojas said.
Rojas saw the application for Casa Casillas while working for another city-sanctioned art piece: a mural in Fresno called “Que Hermoso es La Vida,” that Rojas says is dedicated to resilience and the celebration of life.
“That’s one of my main goals, making pieces that resonate for the viewer,” Rojas said. “I just want to create something beautiful for my community and for everyone to see.”
His art travels beyond just two-dimensional work, and includes ceramic work and incorporated chaquira bead art.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s cloth, if it’s fabric, if it’s beads,” he said. “I just like creating, the feeling of spending a large amount of time in a piece where it’s very thoughtful, and the materials and everything is something beautiful.”
His love for the arts and colors began in his childhood, when his treat of choice was paint-by-numbers kits. And some of his earliest work was inspired from the colors and movement of flowers in his grandma’s garden in Tijuana.
Now, Rojas hopes to create an homage to his family with his art at Casa Casillas. “I am very grateful for them because they have been very supportive. If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be as many steps into my art,” he said.
In a quick, expensive and fast-paced world, Rojas said it’s hard to make a living and still follow your passion. But the more resources an art space like Casa Casillas has, he said, the more opportunities there are to spread art in the community.
“Art is so helpful for the soul,” Rojas said. “We take it for granted, but it’s something beautiful.”
From the Documenters
This story came in part from notes taken by Matthew Miuccio, a San Diego Documenter, at a Chula Vista Cultural Arts Commission meeting earlier this year. The Documenters program trains and pays community members to document what happens at public meetings.
Type of Content
News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
