2023 was a year of immense growth, perseverance and opportunity for our organization! We are proud of our accomplishments, including celebrating 11 years of Stay Gallery, exhibiting the works of over 80 local and emerging artists, and providing 1,950 free after school art classes for over 750 students.

None of this would have been possible without you! We have the incredible opportunity of witnessing the power of the arts every day alongside our community – from the joy a family feels while painting together during our Family Paint Day program, to the confidence and sense of belonging a young artist gains after sharing their artwork for the first time at one of our exhibitions. Your stories inspire us to stay resilient during challenging times and to continue our mission of increasing access to the arts and creative opportunities for local artists, youth and families.

We would like to take the time to extend a special thank you to the City of Downey, DFEO, LA Department of Arts & Culture, our community partners and donors for their ongoing support and generous contributions. We would also like to thank our incredible team of arts educators for their passion for the arts and dedication to our students.

We are looking forward to this upcoming year and sharing new offerings, including the launch of weekly art classes & workshops this Spring and an updated membership program. We will also keep you updated on the status of our operating agreement with the City of Downey as more information becomes available. Wishing you all a happy and fulfilling 2024! 🎉

Continue reading below to see highlights from this past year!

Arts Education

This year, we expanded our impact through arts education by continuing our partnership with Downey Foundation for Educational Opportunities (DFEO) and providing a variety of youth arts programmings, mentorships and field trips at Stay Gallery.

DFEO PARTNERSHIP

In partnership with DFEO, we provided free visual arts enrichment classes at 15 DUSD school sites as part of the ACCESS After School Program. Our teachers collectively taught over 1,950 after school art classes throughout the year and organized four student art exhibitions at Stay Gallery featuring the work of over 750 TK – 8th grade students. A big thank you to our incredible staff of art teachers – Mike Alcala, Julia Bielenberg, Sofia Carrillo, Isis Gomez, Tanya Lewis, cindy macias, and Yaileen Zamora.

PHOTOGRAFF PILOT PROGRAM

We had the opportunity to pilot PhotoGraff, a free four-week program for local middle school students, made possible with support from 10-20 Club and Downey Rotary. This program is designed to introduce students to film photography and street art by professional photographers and muralists, allowing students to learn and experiment with each medium in a safe and supportive environment. We collaborated with Carlos Ayon of Eastside Shutter Brigade and Tony Reyes of Mastermind Murals, who provided live demonstrations and taught students how to safely handle film point-and-shoot cameras and spray paint. The students used water-based, non-toxic Montana colors spray paint.

YOUTH MENTORSHIPS & FIELD TRIPS

Throughout the year, we welcomed over 120 local students to the gallery for field trips. We also participated in our fourth year with Odyssey STEM Academy’s Mentorship Program. This year, our team mentored twelve high school scholars. Each mentee was paired with one of our art teachers during our after school program with DFEO, where they assisted with classroom management and designed art lessons for elementary school students. They also joined our executive team at Stay Gallery every week to learn about nonprofit leadership and the role the arts play in our society. On our last day together, we hosted a street art workshop and potluck for our mentees.

Exhibitions

This year we hosted two exhibitions at Stay Gallery – motherHOOD and The Local Group Show 5 – that dug deep into the personal stories and creativity of artists and community members from Los Angeles. We also hosted admission-free weekly gallery hours throughout the year and, in between our scheduled exhibitions, displayed artwork from local artists and historical artifacts from the Downey Museum of Art (DMOA). Collectively, we showcased the work of over 80 local and emerging artists.

motherHOOD

In May, we hosted motherHOOD, a photo voice project and exhibition led and curated by Lauren Temple with support from BIZ Stoop and Stay Arts. This project honored Black and Latina/x motherhood in all its forms. Twelve local mothers were provided with film point-and-shoot cameras to document their experiences and perspectives on motherhood over the span of two weeks. The culminating exhibition and opening reception highlighted their chosen photos and personal stories.

Special thanks to La Vie en Rose for the beautiful charcuterie board and Lenita by Grita for the gifted flower arrangement.

THE LOCAL GROUP SHOW 5

In October, we celebrated the opening of The Local Group Show (TLGS) 5 , the 5th installation of our annual group art exhibition highlighting the creative diversity of Los Angeles County. This year featured the work and stories of 68 local artists from diverse ages, backgrounds, career stages and mediums, including paintings, ceramics, photography and more.

The opening reception was featured alongside Stay Gallery’s 11th anniversary and annual fundraiser. It was also our biggest event to date, welcoming over 350 visitors throughout the night. Highlights included a community market featuring 12 local vendors, live painting by Nia Simone & Angel Acordagoitia, a free card-making print workshop by GUERRA, live sounds by NICEGUYXVINNY, tacos by Fuego Tacos, craft beer by Brewjeria, and drinks by Liquid Death.

Special thanks to our community partners: Avenue Press, Don Lamkin, The Downtown Downey, Embassy Suites Downey, Gaucho Grill, Golf ‘N Stuff, Metro LA, Poached Kitchen, Porto’s Bakery, RD Artist Supplies and Uncle Henry’s.

TLGS 5 is currently on view through February!

Videography by Profound Vision

Art Workshops & Events

Throughout the year, we hosted 34 free and low-cost workshops and community events, engaging over 2,000 participants and attendees. We continued our monthly family paint day workshops (made possible with support from LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn), collaborated with local artists to produce events at the gallery (like this paint ‘n sip class, this poetry book launch, and this seasonal community art market), and worked with our local partners to provide free arts-based activities for children and families at community events (like these scratch art workshops).

Creative Recovery LA Grant

We became a 2023 Creative Recovery LA grantee. Our organization was featured as part of the Los Angeles Department of Arts and Culture’s historic investment of over $31 million dollars in 750+ arts, cultural and equity-building organizations, made possible by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

Our organization was awarded grants in two categories, including Arts Relief & Recovery and Reopening Culture, Tourism & Marketing.⁠ These grant funds were used for urgent rent relief and marketing support for continued operations.

Coming up this year

• Weekly art classes & workshops this Spring

• Updated membership program

Your thoughts and feedback are needed for our 2024 community survey! We will be expanding our offerings this year through new art classes, workshops, events and experiences at Stay Gallery. Please complete our short survey before Friday, January 19th, and you'll automatically be entered to win a Stay swag bag with limited edition merch.