At Space 4 Art in the East Village of San Diego, a vibrant community of artists lives, works, and contributes to what makes this region extraordinary. The collective includes 34 artists working in 22 studios – six of whom call the space home. Together, they create music, visual art, and serve the community in a wide variety of ways.
Recently, Space 4 Art was awarded $138,000 as part of the Prebys Healing Through Arts and Nature Initiative, which is distributing more than $6,400,000 to 59 organizations. This initiative seeks to improve community health and well-being by enhancing access to arts, culture, and nature. A growing number of healthcare providers, researchers, and community advocates recognize the importance of not only treating illness but also promoting mental, physical, and social wellness through non-clinical experiences in the arts, culture, and nature.
Recent data shows the particular value of arts experiences for reducing social isolation, reducing stress, and improving health.
The Many Ways of Art and Healing
A stroll through Space 4 Art reveals the many ways art touches people’s lives and supports healing.
Curtis Bracher’s studio is a testament to the connection between art and the natural world. His space is filled with plants, fish tanks, and terrariums of all sizes. For over five years, Bracher has lived in his studio, where he’s been working on a project that transforms scientific measurements from plants and other organisms into visual art. The result is a dynamic still life that is anything but still – always moving, always alive.
In another studio, May-Ling Martinez is taking advantage of the sizable space to prepare a large-scale installation for the San Diego Airport. Her project will become part of the airport’s public art collection, offering visitors a whimsical and exciting welcome to the region.
Jennifer de Poyen, the executive director of Space 4 Art, has helped the organization thrive on a $500,000 annual budget. Originally an artist renting a small space, she was invited by the organization’s founders, Robert Leathers and Cheryl Nickel, to take on the leadership role. For de Poyen, the value of Space 4 Art goes far beyond its physical facilities.
“It’s not just the physical space – it’s the sense of community,” she says. “Artists here share ideas, techniques, and resources. They collaborate. It’s also about providing a platform for the process, not just the product. So much of what happens here is behind the scenes, but without that foundation, the ‘magic’ doesn’t happen.”
Finding Art in Unlikely Places
This sense of magic is at the heart of the Prebys grant’s focus on healing through art. Linda Litteral, an artist whose huge, colorful canvases dominate her studio at Space 4 Art, illustrates this power in her work with incarcerated women at the Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility in Santee. An incest survivor, Litteral has dedicated herself to helping others heal through art.
At Las Colinas, where 82 percent of inmates report having experienced sexual abuse – a figure Litteral believes is likely underreported — her classes provide a safe space for women to address their trauma.
“My goal is to help women address their trauma in a visual way and get it outside of their body,” she explains. “It’s stuck in your cells, it’s stuck in your brain, it’s stuck in your memory, and you can’t verbalize it. So that’s what I do at Las Colinas – allow them to express themselves through art.”
She adds,
