Art exhibition fundraiser to benefit Monarch School’s unhoused students

On Thursday, April 13, students from Monarch School displayed their artwork at the University Club Downtown. The preview event gave a peak at the second annual Metamorphosis Art Exhibition— a fundraising event celebrating the resilience of the artists themselves.  

As a creative youth development program, the exhibition in May will feature over 100 pieces by students, collaborative works between students and teaching artists, and pieces from San Diego regional artists. 

“‘Metamorphosis’ represents the children who keep going through changes,” said Elizabeth Pennington, Vice President of Philanthropy. She added that creating art affects children emotionally to heal themselves.  

Monarch School is the only K-12 school in the nation designed specifically for unhoused children. Monarch School’s staff nurture resilience in unhoused youth and their families by empowering children to open themselves up through art. 

Sarah Cusey, an art manager, oversaw the exhibition and preview event. During the three months of preparation, the artist-built organization Space4Art led workshops for students as a community partner. These professional artists taught students about visual art, dance, and music. Students expressed their ideas and abilities freely using the expertise that they learned such as color mixing, painting techniques, and more.

The Metamorphosis Art Exhibition will be held on May 12, from 5:30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m., at Monarch School’s Center for the Arts, The Chrysalis, located at 1805 Main Street.   

“The Chrysalis was new when we launched our Metamorphosis Art Exhibition last year,” said Monarch School Project CEO Afira DeVries, “The 6,000-square-foot space has a theater, dance studio, gallery space, visual art classroom and music maker space and has helped grow our Creative Youth Development programs. Funds raised from Metamorphosis will help us continue to operate the space and its creative arts programming.”    

Art pieces including paintings, photography, fiber arts and sculptures, that represent the self-growth and determination of the students, are going to be showcased. A cocktail reception, a tour of the exhibition, student performances, artist talks, and an auction are planned. In particular, people who attend this event have a chance to buy art in the auction. Monarch School plans to host the fundraising event annually. 

Tickets for the annual fundraiser are $250 for individual tickets and $400 for a pair. To appreciate students’ artworks and to register for this program, visit; https://monarchschools.org/metamorphosis-2023/