Un Mar de Colores · San Diego, CA
Free Visual Arts Workshops for San Diego Families
Kumeyaay history and living culture taught alongside visual arts — not token decoration.
Un Mar de Colores ofrece cultural arts & storytelling gratuitas para jóvenes de San Diego de All ages años, directamente en la costa de San Diego. Sirviendo a una comunidad del 55% BIPOC (1,386,932 residentes), nuestra instrucción se lleva a cabo en La Jolla Shores y Tourmaline, con entrenadores bilingües certificados y todo el equipo proporcionado. La inscripción prioritaria es para estudiantes de Kate Sessions Elementary, Mission Beach Elementary, Pacific Beach Middle.
Horario — programa en San Diego
Quarterly workshops + summer artist residencies · Completamente gratis
Quizás sientes esto
- —Film and documentary tools feel elite-only — nobody offered your San Diego teen free camera access and mentorship.
- —Oral tradition and storytelling aren't in youth programs — your grandparents' coastal memories stay at the dinner table.
- —Your child's mural idea about Tijuana River pollution has no wall — no program connected art to environmental justice.
Lo que cambia cuando los jóvenes entran al agua
- Bilingual instruction and materials in English and Spanish — 30% households served fully.
- Latino and Chicano surf culture history centers voices commercial surf media erases.
- BIPOC-led arts movement — coastal culture reclaimed by communities who built San Diego shorelines.
Por qué operamos este programa en San Diego
San Diego is the second-largest city in California with a 30% Hispanic/Latino population and the 2nd-largest school district in the state. Our San Diego programming spans La Jolla Shores, Tourmaline Surfing Park, Mission Beach, and OB Pier, serving San Diego Unified's 98,000 students — with particular focus on Title I middle and high schools in PB, Mission Bay, and Point Loma.
- Población
- 1,386,932
- Residentes BIPOC
- 55%
- Hogares hispanohablantes
- 30%
- Distancia a la playa
- En la costa
Cultural Arts & Storytelling en San Diego — Lo que debes saber
Summer artist residencies in San Diego provide immersive creative weeks free for San Diego youth — commercial residencies often charge hundreds in tuition.
Guest-artist workshops bring professional BIPOC creators to San Diego cohorts — mentors who reflect community, not imported tourist artists.
Por qué San Diego importa para nuestra misión
When we say free for San Diego youth, we mean wetsuits, soft-tops, rashguards, sunscreen, transportation, and instruction — the full stack commercial programs charge $50–$150 per session for.
Serving San Diego means meeting families where they are: San Diego schools, community centers, and partner orgs that already hold trust. We don't wait for families to find the beach — we bring youth to the water.
Socios comunitarios locales en San Diego
En asociación con el San Diego Unified School District y organizaciones comunitarias locales, reclutamos jóvenes de 5+ escuelas Título I.
Distrito escolar y escuelas Título I
- San Diego Unified School District
- •Kate Sessions Elementary
- •Mission Beach Elementary
- •Pacific Beach Middle
- •Mission Bay High
- •Point Loma High
Socios comunitarios
- ◆San Diego Unified School District
- ◆San Diego Junior Lifeguards
- ◆Scripps Institution of Oceanography
- ◆San Diego Public Library
- ◆Mission Bay Aquatic Center
Currículo del programa
Cultural Arts & Storytelling at Un Mar de Colores is where the surf, the coast, and community narrative meet. Quarterly workshops and summer artist residencies bring together youth, professional artists, and Kumeyaay elders to create work that reflects the living cultural traditions of the California coast. Programs center Indigenous, Latino, and Chicano voices historically marginalized in coastal culture, and every workshop ends with a public exhibition, publication, or film screening that returns the art to the community that made it.
- →Coastal storytelling and oral tradition
- →Kumeyaay history and living culture
- →Latino and Chicano surf culture history
- →Visual arts (painting, mural, photography)
- →Poetry and spoken word
- →Film and documentary-making
Qué se incluye — Gratis para cada joven de San Diego
- ✓All art supplies provided
- ✓Guest-artist workshops
- ✓Exhibition and publication opportunities
- ✓Bilingual instruction
- ✓Culturally grounded curriculum
- ✓Partnership with local galleries and museums
Por qué Un Mar de Colores
Since 2018, Un Mar de Colores has served thousands of youth across San Diego County and the Cali-Baja region — with funding from the San Diego Foundation, community grants, and individual donors keeping every program 100% free.
Lo que dice nuestra comunidad
“"He used to approach new activities with extreme anxiety — to the point where sometimes we couldn't even get out of the car. Now he goes much deeper into the water."”
Preguntas frecuentes — Cultural Arts & Storytelling en San Diego
Can schools from San Diego Unified School District book arts workshops?+
Yes — we partner with Title I schools for culturally grounded arts field experiences. Contact Un Mar to coordinate a San Diego classroom or after-school arts session.
Can teens do film and documentary workshops?+
Yes — film and documentary-making workshops include camera access and editing mentorship. San Diego teens document coastal stories, environmental justice, and neighborhood memory with professional guidance.
How does Kumeyaay culture appear in arts programming?+
Kumeyaay elders participate in coastal storytelling and living culture modules alongside visual arts — elders as teachers, not symbols. San Diego Indigenous and Latino youth learn cultural depth commercial surf culture erases.
¿Los programas de Cultural Arts & Storytelling en San Diego son realmente gratuitos?+
Sí. Todos los programas de Un Mar de Colores en San Diego son 100% gratuitos. Proporcionamos trajes de neopreno 3/2mm, tablas de surf, transporte desde escuelas asociadas como Kate Sessions Elementary, Mission Beach Elementary, Pacific Beach Middle, e instrucción bilingüe certificada. El financiamiento proviene de la San Diego Foundation, subvenciones comunitarias y donantes individuales.
¿Dónde se realizan exactamente las lecciones en San Diego?+
Las lecciones principales se realizan en La Jolla Shores. Todas las sesiones de agua ocurren dentro de las zonas salvavidas de la bandera.
¿Qué edades son elegibles en San Diego?+
Servimos a jóvenes de All ages años. Nuestra Beca One Ocean cubre las edades 6-12, Ocean Stewards After-School sirve a 13-17, y las Becas Atléticas de Surf están disponibles para jóvenes competitivos a través de nuestras asociaciones con San Diego Unified School District.
¿Cómo inscribo a mi hijo/a?+
Contáctenos a través de nuestra página de contacto. La inscripción prioritaria se otorga a estudiantes de Kate Sessions Elementary, Mission Beach Elementary, Pacific Beach Middle y otras escuelas de Título I en San Diego Unified School District. Los grupos de verano suelen llenarse con 3-4 semanas de anticipación.
¿Listo para entrar al agua?
Sign your San Diego youth up today — every program is 100% free, with wetsuits, boards, and transportation included.
Todos los programas de Un Mar de Colores son gratuitos para jóvenes de San Diego. Contáctanos para inscribirte, hacer voluntariado, o apoyar el movimiento.
Un Mar de Colores es una organización sin fines de lucro 501(c)(3) liderada por personas BIPOC, basada en Oceanside, California. Ofrecemos programación gratuita de surf, océano y educación ambiental para jóvenes en San Diego y Tijuana — conectando culturas, costas y comunidades desde 2018.
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