The NTC Foundation Arts District Collaborative is now in its sixth year of funding creative proposals supporting and promoting the great things Liberty Station tenants are doing.

The collaborative program encourages proposals to consider how to welcome the public to the Arts District using diversity, creativity, and cultural expression while focusing on subject matter that represents Arts District Liberty Station’s experiences and partners.

This year, two collaborative program recipients were chosen. They are “Blossoming Borders,” Ana Galena Floral Studio in collaboration with Rosa Huerta of Mi Gallery, Tu Gallery; and “Unidos por el Estumbre/United by Yarn,” Visions Museum of Textile Art in collaboration with San Diego Craft Collective and Songbirds Music.
“Blossoming Borders” is a multi-faceted celebration aiming to bridge divides and celebrate the rich tapestry of life along the Tijuana/San Diego border. Through floral displays, paintings, and writings, the event showcases the region’s unique identity and fosters community connections. Selected responses from the community inspire artists, resulting in a visually stunning and emotionally resonant exhibition. Workshops provide opportunities for active participation, enhancing community involvement, and contributing to the narrative of unity and shared creativity.

“I’ve been a floral designer for 25 years and my mom was a florist and I joined her initially doing the marketing and the business side,” said Ana Galena of her background, which included living in Tijuana and attending school across the border at San Diego State University. “Eventually I started playing with flowers, which captured me, and I could never stop.”

Of her NTC Foundation Arts District Collaborative program project, Galena said her colleague, Rosa Huerta, will be “transforming ideas into visual art through paint, and I as the florist will be transforming those ideas into live art via floral installations.”

Galena said they would be utilizing social media and other avenues to generate ideas for themes for their project, which will ultimately be exhibited this fall in the Liberty Station Command Center. “We will have live music and food, a fusion from both sides of the border,” Galena said adding, “Life in the border area brings many creative people out. It is like no other place in the world; we want to express this mix, this fusion through art.”

Lisa Johnson, president/CEO of the NTC Foundation, talked about the purpose of the Arts District Collaborative. “We just feel that great things can happen when people and their programs come together,” she said. “We put a call out for collaborative projects, and every year we get some truly unique things, both from for-profits and nonprofits. This year we awarded about $10,000 in grants.”

Added Johnson of the Collaborative Program: “We feel like it is an opportunity to enrich our sense of community and gives (NTC Foundation) tenants an opportunity to work together and to create space where they can demonstrate their interdisciplinary experiences for the community, and for the people who come here and enjoy it.”

The ultimate objective, Johnson said, is to improve the visitor experience at Arts District Liberty Station. “We want people coming to the Arts District to have a great visitor experience,” she said. “They might come down for one thing, a meal or a cup of coffee – and wander around after and discover something completely different, whether it’s an art program, a dance performance, or an installation. We always want to keep the experiences fresh and people coming back.”