We are pleased to start off a month of promotions on the theme of Health, Healing and Hope as part of the Arts, Culture and Creativity promotion for April organized by California for the Arts.
Health, Healing and Hope and: The Role of Arts in Community Resilience is the theme for the April 2025 Arts, Culture Creativity Month
The North County Arts Network has prepared a 4-week promotion for all events that exemplify this spirit of hope and resilience at a time in our lives that we are bombarded by environmental and political challenges. You can see a special curated list of events on the topic of Health Healing and Hope on our website as part of Open Your Hearts to North County Arts project. This promotion is part of our ongoing proof of the variety and depth of arts activities in our part of the county.
If you have any arts and culture event in North County, please list them on NCAN.
Now is the time to advance the message of Health, Healing, & Hope, and how our artists and culture bearers are essential to community cohesion, reparative justice, and individual wellbeing.
Arts and Culture Activities
- Produce Positive Mental Health Outcomes
- Catalyze Personal Growth
- Help Heal Trauma
- Support Spiritual Growth & Connection
It stimulates pride in our community, personal well-being – even personal transformations, and builds empathy and understanding.
Our board member focus is by Andrew Utt this month, executive director of the Institute of Contemporary Art which has a whole year of events and exhibitions based on healing.
We have curated 8 events for the first week of the April you can check out below: The first week of four weeks. This includes a special report on La Havana Madrid at New Village Arts now until July 27
You can also see all the events on the Open Your Hearts to North County Artfeature on our website.
Finally see a list of all the events in April in North County that we support as always. Is is always important to attend visual and performing arts event, but we hope you will make an extra effort in April.
Weekly Wellness Saturday: Yoga and Meditation at the Institute of Contemporary Art North
by Andrew Utt
The Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego (ICA San Diego) North campus in Encinitas is delighted to expand its exhibition season with Weekly Wellness Saturdays, a series designed to deepen the connection between contemporary art and holistic well-being. The On Healing 2025-2026 season at ICA explores the transformative power of art by celebrating our connection to others and finding new ways to heal through the arts. On Healing considers healing from a variety of perspectives including physical and mental health; networks of care; spiritual healing; healing practices of past, future, or fictional societies; and healing as a process or journey. These wellness-centered events provide an opportunity for the community to engage in practices that complement the themes of the exhibitions, fostering a space for reflection, growth, and connection.
Event Highlights: Most Saturdays 1 to 5 pm
- Healing Activities (1–2 PM): Each Saturday features a rotating wellness activity led by local facilitators. Participants can experience diverse practices such as breathwork, yoga, meditation, sound healing, and embodied dance, fostering mental, physical, and emotional health.
- Exhibition Tours (2:15–3:15 PM): Guests are invited to join complimentary tours of the current exhibitions, exploring the Lower and Upper Pavilions, outdoor garden, and sculpture trail. These tours provide insight into how contemporary artists address themes of healing and resilience. Ethan Chan & David Peña: Heavy as Ghosts is on view until July 27, 2024. This two-person exhibition features the work of ICA San Diego’s 2024 artists in residence, Ethan Chan and David Peña. Over the course of the past year, Chan and Peña each produced a body of work in response to healing; in the case of Chan, healing from the loneliness and isolation intensified by the pandemic, and for Peña, healing from grief after the loss of his grandparents.
- Art-Making Activities (12–5 PM): All-ages art-making sessions are available throughout the afternoon, encouraging creative expression and community connection.
- Amenities (12–5 PM): Visitors can enjoy complimentary admission to all exhibitions, with coffee and snacks available for purchase on-site.
Image: Claire Halter
Upcoming Wellness Activities:
- April 5: Embodied Dance with Claire Halter
About Embodied Dance: Get out of your head and into your body! This experience includes guided facilitation alongside free and intuitive movement and dance. Participants do not need any experience and are encouraged to move in their own authentic way in a safe, supported space. - Sat. April 12: Breathwork with Shawna Rogers.
Experience the transformative power of transcendent breathwork, a modern, three-part breathing practice paired with evocative music to guide you into a state of deep healing and bliss. This gentle yet powerful technique helps release trapped emotions, harmonize your nervous system, and naturally boost your “happy hormones”. - Sat. April 19: Sound Healing and Art Making in the Garden with Karen Cadiero-Kaplan
Enter a sound healing among plants and the sounds of crystal singing bowls and harp, then move into intuitive painting expressing your inner wisdom followed by creating with paints, collage, clay or mixed media. - Sat. April 26: Yoga and Meditation with Diana Bamford
Experience an hour of gentle, mindful yoga and deep meditation, designed to nourish your body, calm your mind, and restore your spirit. This soothing practice for all levels invites you to move with ease, breathe deeply, and embrace stillness in a warm and supportive space.
These offerings reflect ICA San Diego’s commitment to exploring how art can serve as a vital tool for individual and community well-being, addressing socio-cultural challenges illuminated by recent global events.
Admission to Weekly Wellness Saturdays is free, with a suggested donation for healing activities, payable directly to the facilitators. Events are held most Saturdays during ICA San Diego’s open hours from 12 PM to 5 PM.
Join us at ICA San Diego North campus to rejuvenate your mind, body, and spirit through art and wellness.
The North County Arts Network was established to serve, advance, and lead the diverse network of organizations and individuals who work in the arts in North County San Diego. We look to invigorate the arts community, enhance quality of life and encourage prosperity in our region to maximize support for the arts.
We encourage everyone to become involved in the arts, especially in North County San Diego. It’s not that far!
Jeremy Sicile-Kira: Greatly I Dream, Health, Healing, Hope, Music, & Autism at Solana Beach City Hall Gallery
Sat April 5, 2-4 Reception with musician Terrence Partridge
Terrence and Jeremy met during the filming of “Bass Clef Bliss:Terrence’s Path,” a documentary about Terrence’s journey with music, Autism, and hope.Sicile-Kira has a vision to help people heal through his art. Exhibition continues through April.
The Art of Autism at Oceanside Museum of Art
April 5 to July 27, 2025
An exhibition celebrating neurodivergent artists and the unique ways neurodivergent individuals perceive, create, and contribute to the world. A Different Lens will feature works from more than a dozen artists, providing a powerful platform for self-expression while fostering understanding and support for the autism and broader neurodivergent communities. Six Peace and Healing Posts created by collaboration with neurotypical and neurodivergent artists on emotional and physical experiences will be on display. Plus Matt Devine: Walk With Me into a space of quiet with time for contemplation and reflection. March 1 – July 6
Mayor Art Contest at Escondido City Hall
April 5 Take in day at EAA
April 9 to May 2
For the month of April 2025, Escondido Art Association (EAA) is proud to partner with the local Mayor Dana White to hold the 1st annual Mayor Art Contest. Artists Open This is one of the nine projects located in the heart of Escondido at Grand Avenue to host and celebrate Art, Culture, and Creativity Month throughout this month.
San Marcos Spring Festival at the brand new venue – North City, San Marcos
Sunday, April 6, 2025
250+ amazing vendors, including talented artisans and crafters. The event runs from 9 am-5 pm, all along North City Drive.
Expressive Arts Workshop: Metaphors from Nature: Awareness, Self-expression, Wisdom, Nurturing, and Healing at UC San Diego Health Cancer Services in Encinitas.
8-week series: Fri, April 4 through Fri, May 23
Keeping Nature as a connecting thread, we’ll be playing and learning together, adding an artful dimension, and embodied mindful awareness for personal self-exploration and self-expression. Spending time in nature, even just looking out the window or enjoying breathing fresh air, walking in a park or barefoot on the beach reminds us that we belong to nature. In person and available by zoom. Virtuall Instructor: and more info Alessandra Colfi
Once on This Island at the Oceanside Theater
Through April 13
The classic story of a peasant girl who rescues and falls in love with a boy from the privileged side of the island. She encounters powerful island gods who challenge and shape her destiny. This compelling storytelling with music and dance, reminds us that love is the ultimate force that connects us all.
