The Artist Lab San Diego recently hosted an art exhibit at the Pacific Highlands Ranch Library in Carmel Valley. The May 3 event highlighted the creative work of 30 young artists, from painting to drawing to mixed media pieces. Artists were encouraged to submit their work for inclusion in the show and the submission fees went to support the Friends of the Pacific Highlands Ranch Library Foundation.
The celebration of the young creators was also a celebration of the local Artist Lab and its mission to inspire creativity and confidence in children through art.
The Artist Lab has been in the Village at Pacific Highlands Ranch since 2022, owned by local Stella Lin. Growing up as a child in China, Lin’s grandpa was an artist and she used to stand by his side and watch him while he painted. His artwork inspired her to pick up a paintbrush herself: “I guess that it’s kind of in my blood,” she said.
When she moved to the United States, she was always looking for an art studio close to where she lived in Carmel Valley but it was difficult to find. Once she had kids and she was then looking for them too, she felt like an art audio was something that was really missing in the neighborhood.
“The area is so competitive in academics, but not all the kids are competitive in academics,” Lin said. “Kids deserve to have an art studio to draw and paint and express their emotions.”
-
The Artist Lab recently held an art show at the Pacific Highlands Ranch Library. (Courtesy The Artist Lab)
1 of 8
The Artist Lab recently held an art show at the Pacific Highlands Ranch Library. (Courtesy The Artist Lab)
She was lucky to find the upstairs spot in the Village, a space split off from neighboring Elite Prep. Once they opened, she found many families were just like her and looking for that creative outlet. Her heart melts hearing the happy testimonials and watching young artists grow their gift.
“We got a lot of positive feedback and I’m really confident to say that we are one of the fastest growing art studios in San Diego,” said Lin. “We have 4,000 families with us and we are going pretty good the past three years.”
According to studio manager Catherine Lemanowicz, Artist Lab has a team of 12 art teachers in the studio, teaching classes in group sessions during the weekday after school hours of 3-7 p.m. They also offer weekend classes, private sessions and camps. In the lab, they provide a space for artists as young as three and all the way up to classes for adults.
“We also serve a lot of kids with special needs in our space,” Lemanowicz said. “We have a beautiful community….and it’s growing.”
Artist Lab is actively involved in the local schools around them—sponsoring events and teaching art programs in the Solana Beach, Del Mar Union and Poway Unified Districts. They also work with private schools such as Del Mar Pines and the Kids Bay day care center down the street.
Artist Lab formed a connection with the Pacific Highlands Ranch Library long before it ever opened its doors nearby. They now offer free art classes once a month.
For the grand opening celebration last fall, The Artist Lab had a long, stretched mural for kids and the community to add their expressions onto, starting off as just a blank canvas with a sketched outline of the long-awaited library building. The completed project, a wild and eclectic and colorful art collaboration, hangs on display in the library’s spacious community room.
The piece served as the backdrop for the May 3 show, as the young artists proudly shared their work.
