Un Mar de Colores · San Marcos, CA
San Marcos's Free Cultural Arts by Un Mar de Colores
All art supplies provided — paint, canvas, cameras, materials — zero cost for San Marcos families.
Un Mar de Colores ofrece cultural arts & storytelling gratuitas para jóvenes de San Marcos de All ages años, con transporte gratuito de 11 millas desde San Marcos a nuestras playas de enseñanza. Sirviendo a una comunidad del 51% BIPOC (96,664 residentes), nuestra instrucción se lleva a cabo en Carlsbad Tamarack (11 miles) y Oceanside Pier (13 miles), con entrenadores bilingües certificados y todo el equipo proporcionado. La inscripción prioritaria es para estudiantes de Alvin Dunn Elementary, Paloma Elementary, San Marcos Elementary.
Horario — programa en San Marcos
Quarterly workshops + summer artist residencies · Completamente gratis
Quizás sientes esto
- —Your teen writes poetry about the ocean but has no workshop space that honors barrio voice and coastal imagery.
- —Kumeyaay history shows up on a poster once a year — your child wants living culture with elders, not clipart.
- —Bilingual arts instruction is rare — most San Marcos-area workshops default to English-only artists and materials.
Lo que cambia cuando los jóvenes entran al agua
- Bilingual instruction and materials in English and Spanish — 37% households served fully.
- Visual arts: painting, mural, and photography workshops with exhibition-ready output.
- Pathways for San Marcos teens to develop portfolios for creative scholarships and careers.
Por qué operamos este programa en San Marcos
San Marcos is the most diverse inland city in North County, with 37% Hispanic/Latino population and home to California State University San Marcos. Our cohorts travel from Alvin Dunn Elementary and San Marcos Middle to Carlsbad's Tamarack for water programming. CSUSM student volunteers support our program delivery, making this one of our strongest university-nonprofit partnerships.
- Población
- 96,664
- Residentes BIPOC
- 51%
- Hogares hispanohablantes
- 37%
- Distancia a la playa
- 11 mi
Cultural Arts & Storytelling en San Marcos — Lo que debes saber
With 37% Spanish-speaking households in San Marcos, bilingual arts instruction and exhibition materials are standard — not English-only gallery language.
Free mural and photography workshops near Carlsbad Tamarack (11 miles) and Oceanside Pier (13 miles) give San Marcos teens tools to document watershed pollution, lineup culture, and neighborhood coastal memory — art as environmental justice.
Por qué San Marcos importa para nuestra misión
San Marcos's relationship to the Pacific is complicated by history and economics. Our curriculum weaves Kumeyaay coastal stewardship, environmental justice, and culturally grounded instruction into every session — not as an add-on, but as the foundation.
Recruitment in San Marcos runs through counselors, teachers, and community partners who know which students need this most. We don't run open enrollment chaos — we build intentional cohorts.
Socios comunitarios locales en San Marcos
En asociación con el San Marcos Unified School District y organizaciones comunitarias locales, reclutamos jóvenes de 5+ escuelas Título I.
Distrito escolar y escuelas Título I
- San Marcos Unified School District
- •Alvin Dunn Elementary
- •Paloma Elementary
- •San Marcos Elementary
- •San Marcos Middle School
- •San Marcos High School
Socios comunitarios
- ◆California State University San Marcos (student volunteers)
- ◆San Marcos Unified School District
- ◆Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos
- ◆San Marcos Library
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 Marcos
- ✓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
Federal EIN 85-2947340. Mailing: PO BOX 232471, Encinitas, CA 92024. We operate on the ancestral lands of the Kumeyaay Nation with respect and community accountability.
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 Marcos
What is Cultural Arts & Storytelling in San Marcos?+
Un Mar de Colores Cultural Arts centers Indigenous, Latino, and Chicano voices of the California coast through quarterly workshops and summer artist residencies. San Marcos participants create visual art, poetry, film, and oral tradition work with Kumeyaay elders and professional BIPOC guest artists — all free with supplies included.
How do we enroll from San Marcos?+
Contact Un Mar de Colores or check our quarterly workshop calendar. Priority for San Marcos families through partner org and San Marcos Unified School District referrals. All ages welcome — bring grandparents and neighbors.
What are summer artist residencies?+
Immersive multi-day residencies with professional BIPOC guest artists — deeper creation than single quarterly workshops. Free for San Marcos youth including supplies, mentorship, and exhibition output. Commercial residencies often charge tuition.
¿Los programas de Cultural Arts & Storytelling en San Marcos son realmente gratuitos?+
Sí. Todos los programas de Un Mar de Colores en San Marcos son 100% gratuitos. Proporcionamos trajes de neopreno 3/2mm, tablas de surf, transporte desde escuelas asociadas como Alvin Dunn Elementary, Paloma Elementary, San Marcos Elementary, 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 Marcos?+
Los jóvenes de San Marcos viajan en nuestro transporte a Carlsbad Tamarack (11 miles), aproximadamente a 11 millas. Los componentes de aula ocurren en escuelas y bibliotecas asociadas dentro de San Marcos.
¿Qué edades son elegibles en San Marcos?+
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 Marcos 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 Alvin Dunn Elementary, Paloma Elementary, San Marcos Elementary y otras escuelas de Título I en San Marcos Unified School District. Los grupos de verano suelen llenarse con 3-4 semanas de anticipación.
¿Listo para entrar al agua?
Don't wait for summer — year-round San Marcos cohorts fill fast. Reach out now for free enrollment.
Todos los programas de Un Mar de Colores son gratuitos para jóvenes de San Marcos. 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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