INTRODUCTION After two years of restricted in-person learning and covid related troubles, this season at the Rainforest Art Project, we could not wait to hit the ground running. A wise man once said “Creativity doesn't wait for the perfect moment. It fashions its own perfect moments”; through unusual circumstances we have learned that there is nothing more powerful than imagination and the will to create in shaping our environments, caring for our communities and forging a brighter future. We are grateful for our team and creative family’s continued dedication to nurturing a love for learning ..read more

DEAR GROWING RAP FAMILY, Here at the Rainforest Art Project the many pitfalls and triumphs of` this past year can be aptly summarized by the following inspiring quote by actress and humanitarian, Audrey Hepburn: “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'I'm possible'!” Throughout 2020 and 2021 we have all had to adjust to rapidly changing circumstances, gaining new skills on the fly and facing challenges head on to make the impossible possible! We feel tremendous pride, gratitude and respect for our team and Creative Family who persevered despite the many obstacles and stresses of the past ..read more

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Kudos to our growing Creative Family in City Heights, San Diego! With the generous support of Price Charities Foundation and the VAPA Foundation of San Diego Unified School District, more than 2,400 students received individual art packages, 100 teachers got the opportunity to bring art to their virtual and in-person classrooms, and 984 students participated in creating permanent mosaic projects for their schools. Check out our virtual 2021 Student Art Gallery featuring a collection of classroom art projects, and student drawings for large-scale mosaics created during Zoom ..read more

This article was originally published in the Imperial Valley Press on November 18, 2019 Southwest High School SAVAPA art students paint a name for Jimmie Cannon Theater Written by Gizelle Silva, Southwest High School student In room K-57 at Southwest High School, Southwest High School Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts students are sketching, constructing, gluing, and designing a new sign for the Jimmie Cannon Theater for the Performing Arts at Southwest. The students are partnering with the Rainforest Art Project to create a mosaic to identify the theater and celebrate how much it mea ..read more

"In times of change, learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists." ,— Eric Hoffer https://video.wixstatic.com/video/a3548c_53b712375a8e4fcbbefdaf385064048c/360p/mp4/file.mp4 News report from May 28, 2019. Video courtesy of Action News Now. The Rainforest Art Project is proud to be working with the students, teachers, and staff of Paradise schools to assist them in becoming a highly creative school district. Although creativity is widely lauded as the most valuable skillset of the twenty-first century, it is by al ..read more

,,Has art been replaced by standardized tests? When Joe Nyiri graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1959, he began following his personal passion by teaching art with the Madison Elementary School District. At that time, every single student within the district received a minimum of one hour of art per week. In 1962, Joe moved to San Diego, and began his long career with San Diego Unified School District, while building his reputation as a brilliantly creative contemporary artist. Joe was teaching high school when he retired in 1995, having provided art instruction for over 250 thousan ..read more

Simón Silva is known internationally for his colorful, intimate and emotion-charged paintings. From the cover of Time Magazine to permanent exhibits around the world, his is a story of remarkable triumph over adversity. Born in Mexicali in 1961, Simón moved with his family to the Imperial Valley when he was one year old. Throughout childhood, his education was repeatedly interrupted by his migrant family’s need to follow the harvests from the Imperial Valley to Oregon and Washington. Simón realized from these difficult early years that education was essential to building a better future, and ..read more

Wilson Middle School in San Diego’s diverse City Heights neighborhood will soon be replaced with a remarkable new facility. Across the United States, as deteriorating schools are crying out for massive renovation or replacement, communities are finding themselves with an extraordinary opportunity to dramatically reshape the learning environment. One of the core beliefs of the Rainforest Art Project is that positive, creative spaces have a significant impact on a student’s enthusiasm for learning. The most comprehensive study to date on the effects of school environment was conducted by Researc ..read more

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." - Anne Frank Marisol Duenas has spent most of her adult life in Chicago and San Diego, but her proud Mexican heritage is always with her. Born in Tijuana, she frequently spends her weekends with her aunts and uncles, where laughter, good food and mariachi music are standard fare. When meeting Marisol, you are likely to feel that you have found a friend for life. Blessed with outstanding people skills, keen intuition and an abundance of energy, it did not take long for Marisol to find her niche in ..read more

“Teaching values, character development, ethics, and helping students develop a moral identity have fallen with regard to debate over what schools should teach. The founders of this country would likely be horrified by the loss of this goal, as they all cite character development as the way to create an educated and virtuous citizenry.” - Jessica Lahey wrote in The Atlantic For over a half of a century, there has been an ongoing debate over the effects of violent television images on the behavior of impressionable youth. In the meantime, there has been a dramatic increase in media violenc ..read more