Twelve years ago, a friend persuaded Jennifer de Poyen to attend an art event at a local nonprofit that would lead to a critical shift in her own life.
“I was blown away by the energy, creativity, and dynamism of the space. A few years later, I signed on as a tenant, which led to an important development in my art and life,” she says. “Being part of the Space 4 Art community really changed my work and my sense of possibility as an artist. It has been an enormous gift.”
Founded in 2009, Space 4 Art is a local nonprofit providing working space, living space, and arts education programming. Visual artist Cheryl Nickel moved to San Diego to retire with her architect husband, Bob Leathers, who specialized in community-build projects. They learned that local artists were leaving San Diego because they needed affordable spaces to create and live in, so the couple teamed up with another artist and rented out warehouses in downtown San Diego’s East Village that allowed the community to build those affordable spaces, says de Poyen, the organization’s executive director since 2017.
De Poyen, 55, is an artist, writer, and yoga teacher (who also spent seven years as an arts critic for the Union-Tribune). She lives in La Jolla and has a son, Sacha. Her artwork is on exhibition and in private collections, and she took some time to talk about the organization, including the work to build a larger arts center in San Diego’s Grant Hill neighborhood after losing a large section of their space to gentrification.
Q: What were your goals in this role as executive director when you first started?
A: My goals have always been the same—to find a way to grow the organization and its positive community impacts by strengthening our current programs and finding a way to build a large-scale arts center on Market Street, on a vacant lot the organization purchased in 2014 for that exact purpose. But I started at a time of crisis, so my immediate goal was to find a way to keep Space 4 Art in business. After losing half our space to gentrification in 2017, there was an urgent need to find a new way forward without losing the grassroots energy that had carried the organization from its earliest days. It’s tricky, but I think we’ve managed to strike a good balance between being an edgy, close-to-the-ground enterprise that provides fundamental support for the city’s artistic life and a solid, professional organization that responsibly uses public and philanthropic funds for the benefit of the community at large.
Q: In the section on the Space 4 Art website that outlines the organization’s values, one of those mentions how art can fortify existing communities and traditional cultures. How, specifically, has the organization participated in this community and cultural fortification?
A: Space 4 Art sprang from a simple but powerful idea: to provide affordable spaces for a diverse community of artists. You could think of it as a “housing first” model of artistic support; by helping artists from various backgrounds, cultures, and artistic disciplines meet their basic needs, we empower them to do their essential cultural work, which benefits the community at large through educational and cultural programs. Since our founding in 2009, more than 140 artists from all walks of life have received this fundamental support. Beyond the efforts of our individual artists, Space 4 Art has devised educational programs, creative workshops, and community-based gatherings with the goal of empowering individuals to gain skills, a creative mindset, and a sense of community. It’s not a top-down process; we collaborate with individuals and institutions to help build community.
What I love about La Jolla…
I live near the beach at Windansea, and I love to walk along the water, barefoot, in all seasons, and open all my senses to the sea. I am also walking distance from the Village, which is a truly special combination of an old-fashioned small town and a cultural center. Like almost every other renter in San Diego, I spend a ridiculous percentage of my income on rent, but I am very lucky I’ve been able to hang on through this inflationary period, with big thanks to my landlady, who hasn’t raised the rent.
Q: It also talks about the transformative power of art to lead to healthy growth in marginalized communities. In what ways have you seen this take place in San Diego?
A: Working close to the ground at Space 4 Art, we tend to see transformation at the individual level, which then leads to a societal impact. For example, we give young girls power tools and show them how to use them. At first, they are hesitant. But then they grow in confidence, and that leads them to make better choices for themselves. Or, through our program, a boy growing up with a single mom in Logan Heights, with statistically limited chances at escaping poverty, gets interested in affordable artist housing and learns he has a talent for drawing that takes him to an elite architecture school, from where he can put his ideals into practice. When the convention center was turned into a shelter for unaccompanied migrant children, we dispatched a team of Latina artists to provide arts enrichment for those traumatized teenage girls. We’ve led several community build projects that engage people at a grassroots level to think about what their community needs and how to achieve it. Our artist community has strong representation from the LGBTQ-plus community; and that representation produces activism and awareness that penetrates mainstream society. Art has a way of drawing in people, and especially those who feel like “outsiders,” giving them confidence and tools for self-transformation, and emboldening them to change the world with their gifts.
Q: Where are your favorite places to view or participate in art, in San Diego? And why do you prefer those places?
A: I’d have to start with Open Studios at Space 4 Art! I never get bored with seeing up close and personal what my fellow artists are working on and talking to them about it. I also love the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, with its eclectic mix of jazz, classical, and new music, as well as first-rate art shows, often by local artists. The Conrad, for the best listening experience in San Diego and the quality of the visiting performers. I’ve also spent many magical nights at The Old Globe, watching Shakespeare under the stars. The Shell, especially with Rafael Payare on the podium. I am also a huge opera fan and try to see every production that comes through town. As you can tell, I really don’t like to choose. And that’s without delving into the many smaller venues and arts groups that do incredible, under-sung work. To name just one, Art Produce is a gem of a space, with a fascinating array of cultural programming.
Q: What has your work at Space 4 Art taught you about yourself?
A: I have realized through this work that I am a good collaborator, which is probably my biggest strength as a leader. I honestly don’t think I have the answer to any given problem, although eventually it is often my job to make a decision. My work as a journalist taught me that everyone knows a lot more about something than I do, and I bring that insight to my work with Space 4 Art. Chances are, someone other than me has the information necessary to figure out the next step. So let’s talk to that person. I have also discovered that I am a problem-solver with substantial reserves of resilience.
Q: What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
A: From my guru Sri K Pattabhi Jois: “Do your practice, and all is coming.”
Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to find out about you?
A: I love the rodeo! I grew up going to the Calgary Stampede, which is the world’s largest rodeo, and I love watching the cowboys rope calves, ride bulls, and race chuckwagons, and the cowgirls do high-speed trick riding. And the clowns, who keep the bucked-off cowboys from getting gored by the bulls. During the bull-riding competitions, my dad and I would keep a tally. Almost always, the bulls won the day.
Q: Please describe your ideal San Diego weekend.
A: A perfect weekend would include quality time in my studio, a couple yoga practices, a walk on the beach, at least one arts event, time with friends, downtime with a good book, and a trip to the farmers’ market for local produce and fresh-cut flowers to enjoy for the rest of the week.