Why We Do It
Salinas, California is an agricultural seaside community, but is also subject to the challenges of larger urban areas, including violence, poverty, food insecurity, and inequities that leave young people (many children of farm workers and recent immigrants), left out and disenfranchised with inequities Turning the stigma against urban “graffiti” art on its head, Urban Arts Collaborative integrates visual arts education, food justice and wellness, leadership development, and advocacy for public art to create multiple pathways for youth from Salinas to become skilled artists and effective leaders and considered the arts a powerful tool for life.