The City of San Diego does something really nice to foster artists: the land for the Art Center is owned by the City. Established in 1936, each of the Art Center’s 25-30 studios has 6-7 artists who work and sell their art there. The artists are chosen by a juried panel once a year. The artists can afford to display their art at Spanish Village because rents are extremely low. Adjacent to the popular Balboa Park Museum row, many tourists find their way to view the art offerings. We met many nice artists who were happy to explain how they produce their work, and saw a wide variety of artistic products. It’s inspiring!
You can find painters, sculptors, metalsmiths, jewelry designers, clay, gourd, fiber, mixed media, glass, enamel, leather and digital artists along with photographers, printmakers and many more at the Spanish Village Art Center.
The man in the photo remarked on the bronze sculptures: “these Spanish dancers are every man’s vision of the ideal woman.”
Another corner of the Spanish Art Village.
One glass artist makes dressy drawer pulls.
The Spanish Village Art Center is located at 1770 Village Place in San Diego. It’s open daily from 11:00am to 4:00pm. Admission is free, but your wallet is likely to be tempted by the many unique artistic items for sale!