2023 Art Mentors
Dianna Barbosa
Biography
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Mediums: Charcoal, Color Pastel, Color Pencils, Oil Paint, Watercolors, Ink, and Graphite (Artwork hast at least two of these mediums.).
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Occasionally, she uses Photoshop to create elaborate artwork made up of photos.
Dianna Barbosa, a California-based artist, is known for her detailed oriented artwork. She works with bold colors that carry you through the drawn lines of her compositions. Many of her creations encourage a viewer to dive into their thoughts as they come to see more messages embedded within. Most of her work draws inspiration from real life observations of people coping with loss, depression, anger, being misunderstood, abuse, and judgment. Each one of them has a personal connection to events in her life. She is self-taught until she turned 25 years old and started taking art classes at Allan Hancock Community College. Her goal in attending these classes is to grow artistically out of the passion she has for art. She plans on graduating with an associate degree in the Arts and transferring to a university to major in Psychology. Her goal is to become the first family member to complete college and obtain a Doctorates degree, and upon graduation be a certified Psychiatrist in honor of her immigrant grandmother Maria Esperanza Cardenas who sacrificed so much of her life to make sure that her family had a chance at the American Dream.
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-Allan Hancock’s Fine Arts Complex Grand Opening (02/2023)
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-Featured Allan Hancock's Ann Foxworthy Gallery Annual Student Art Show (04/2023-05/2023)
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- Selected by Allan Hancock College Principal's Office to have a specific artwork loaned out (one year) to them for display.
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Currently
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Secretary (Spring Semester) of Allan Hancock College Studio Arts Club, and recently received the title of President for the upcoming fall semester. In charge of organizing the Art club's participation with two sponsored submissions at the Santa Barbara I Madonnari Italian Street Painting Festival (May 27, 2023) where the funds raised benefit the Children’s Creative Project.
Javier Hernández
Medios Artísticos: Oleo, Acrilico, Carboncillo y grafito.
Luis Linares
Biography
My name is Luis Linares I go by Mr.805, Born and raised in Santa Maria, CA. I am 24 years old and self-taught Artist for eight years., I work with commission orders on social media with artists such as Instagram influencers, celebrities in the music industry, entrepreneurs, actors, and models. I usually do graphite pencils, acrylics, watercolors, chalk, pastel, ceramics, ink, leather paint, wood, spray paint, exterior and interior paint, Logo design, apparel design, mixed media, murals, and colored pencils. I'm into realism, abstract, objective art, landscape, calligraphy, and culture. I am currently mentoring/teaching art with a high school student in Santa Maria about social injustice and cultural arts with a mix of Loteria Project. In the future, I would like to be a professional tattoo artist and muralist. You can find me on all social media platforms @drawing805
Abraham Melendrez
Biography
Abraham (Abe) Melendrez (He/Him/El), is both a 1st and 4th generation Chicano from Santa Maria, CA and Zapopan, Jalisco. Coming from a farmworking family, he attributes his passion for advocacy to his grandmother and mother, who both lost their jobs for marching with Cesar Chavez in Santa Maria in the 70’s. Growing up in poverty and street violence, he credits dedicated mentors who helped him turn his life around and become the first in his family to graduate from college, getting his B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. He has years of experience working at the local, regional and state level on issues such as youth violence, language access, farmworker & immigrant rights, environmental justice, voting rights, pandemic relief and more. He has extensive knowledge on grassroots community organizing, advocacy, public policy, coalition building, public relations, leadership development, program management, art-ivism and more. He is excited to lead our organization and work towards “access-justice” to the arts for all our communities, as well as working with local youth to find their voices and preserve their own cultural histories. As a local artist and professional photographer, Abe runs a local photography/videography business, a small online art business with his partner Sara, is a videogame affiliate Twitch streamer and is a passionate foodie/traveler.
Evelyn Ornelas
Biography
Born in Modesto, California Evelyn Ornelas is the Creative Arts Director at Corazón del Pueblo. She has had 5 years of experience with digital media art, creating logos and designs for local organizations as well as screen printing in Stanislaus County. Evelyn has been a huge advocate for social justice in the Stanislaus County Area for the past 4 years as well as in the Santa Cruz County Area for the past 2. Working with The Hub (which consists of la biciclecia , la fabrica, Sobrosa and many more) and the LBGTQ Community in the Modesto Area. She has been living in Santa Maria for the past 2 years working with Corazón del Pueblo, helping with the fight for social justice and art equity for POC throughout the Central Coast. On her free time she loves to garden, rollerskate, and cook. As of now artwise all her energy has been focused on creating art programs for Corazón del Pueblo as well as managing the social media and designing flyers for the organization. She is the first gen Mexican-American and is proud of her roots. This is her second year as an art mentor for the Loteria Project. Since working at Corazón she has decided to pursue Political Science and is planning on attending Allan Hancock this upcoming fall to continue and advance in the work she is currently doing in the community.
Cire Ramirez Zepeda
Ave Talley
My name is Ava Talley, I was an art mentor for "Corazón del Pueblo" for their 2023 Loteria Project at Santa Maria High School. Working on this project was a huge learning experience for me that helped further my love for social justice, art, and teaching.
Navy Sims
Giselle Vital
Biography
Born and raised in the city of Santa Maria, I am currently a student at Allan Hancock College studying Business Administration, and I am excited to transfer out soon. Although not a public artist, I enjoy painting, creating floral arrangements, and making jewelry in my free time. I believe having creative outlets is essential to one’s mental health and peace of mind. In addition, art can be a powerful tool for activism and ultimately can help create a better community where our people are empowered, inspired, and willing to make changes to the countless injustices surrounding them.
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During 2021 I was a part of the Loteria Project not as a mentor but as a student and was able to create my own Loteria card which emphasized how emigration should not be villainized since it is simply a natural process as all things living strive for better living conditions. This was depicted as a monarch, a symbol of Mexico and the state of Michoacan, flying over the strawberry fields which were synonymous with Santa Maria.