Hector Villegas is the recipient of the Business of Art Scholarship

Introduction by Patricia Frischer

Since 2011, the San Diego Visual Arts Network has been supporting the Business of Art Scholarship in collaboration with the Mission Fed Art Walk. It has been our privilege to work with Sandi Cottrell to give first student sand now emerging artist a chance to experience a sales experience with a huge interaction with an audience. We are grateful to Patric Stillman and Studio Door for expanding the educational experience to a wider group of applicants. 

Now Blanca Lucia Bergman and Art Unites further expands that remit. With Blanca's  help, Sonya Sparks of Sparks Gallery is hosting a seminar  Feb 23 for artists in need of business information as well as a reception March 23) showing a few works by this year's recipient Hector Villegas.  The finale of the season will be a full display of Hector's work in a booth in Little Italy during the Mission Fed ArtWalk on April 30 and May 1. The ArtWalk is in its 38th year and San Diego Visual Arts Network is proud to have supported this program for the last 12 years. 

Text by Blanca Lucia Bergman

The Business of Art Scholarship Partners* are excited to announce The Business of Art Scholarship recipient, Hector Villegas. Over 160 artwork images from 33 artists were evaluated and Hector’s vibrant, captivating, and culturally significant artwork was selected to be showcased at one of Mission Fed ArtWalk’s artist booths on April 30 and May 1, 2022 in Little Italy. In addition to being awarded a booth, mentoring, publicity, art consulting, and marketing, Hector will be the guest of honor at The Business of Art Scholarship Reception hosted by Sparks Gallery on March 23, 2022. Our warmest congratulations to Hector Villegas for this accomplishment and his numerous contributions to his neighborhood, Barrio Logan, and our community at large. 

Hector Villegas has spent the last 7 years developing his acrylic painting and mural artistry in a Neo Mexika style. His works are a blend of Meso American glyphs, textiles, and 3-dimension geometry.

“My intention is to bring back images that tell stories of our culture and educate people about our rich history and struggle. My inspiration and purpose is to continue the tradition, ceremony, language, and history passed on to me by my elders...” - Hector Villegas

Hector is a first-generation Chicano from Barrio Logan in San Diego, California. The youngest of five siblings, Hector grew up in a low-income, single-family home. He faced adversity and hardship in his adolescence and survived gang and prison life as a young man. Ultimately, he dedicated himself to the visual and performing arts, education, community organizing, activism, and fatherhood. Hector is the proud father of Cuicani Quetzal and Yollotli Huitzilac.

Hector’s mother was born in Nayarit, Mexico and his father was born in Jalisco, Mexico. His indigenous Cora and Huichol roots are a gift from his mother and father, respectively, and deeply influential in his professional roles and artistry.

Hector shares a community-centric studio and gallery, Galeria 1904, with local artists who collectively feature Native Chicano art. His painted murals at Chicano Park (a national historic landmark and home to the nation’s largest collection of outdoor murals) exhibit Native Chicano traditional art through a contemporary lens. When Hector is not painting, he teaches Native, Mexicano, and Chicano art, history, and culture at the La Maestra Center for Youth Advancement in City Heights.

Hector regularly contributes to his neighborhood, Barrio Logan (one of the oldest and most culturally-rich urban neighborhoods in San Diego and one of 14 California Cultural Districts), as an active member of the Chicano Park Steering Committee, Barrio Logan Planning Group, Barrio Logan Maintenance Assessment District, and The Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center.

The Business of Art Scholarship at Mission Fed ArtWalk
April 30 and May 1, 2022
Little Italy, San Diego, CA 92101

The Business of Art Scholarship Reception for Hector Villegas
March 23, 2022, 6-7:30 pm at Sparks Gallery
530 Sixth Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101

The Business of Art Seminar
February 23, 2022, 6-7:30 pm at Sparks Gallery
530 Sixth Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101
Fully booked, wait list available: email blancaluciabergman@gmail.com

The Business of Art Seminar in collaboration with Sparks Gallery and hosted by Blanca Lucia Bergman on Wed, Feb 23, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. with Special guests: Lourdes Araiza photography, T. Jay Santa Ana graphic design and marketing, Yvette Roman art curation, and Shaun Cassidy art consulting. The Business of Art Scholarship is offered by San Diego Visual Arts Network and Mission Fed ArtWalk. Art Unites designed the Seminar for San Diego emerging visual artists with two strategic goals:1) to provide valuable art industry information based on research and interviews with San Diego County gallerists, museum executive directors, arts advocates, art curators, art consultants, and event organizers 2) to offer high quality resources that support art career advancement. Another equally exciting segment will be dedicated to elevator speeches and role playing by audience members. (This seminar is sold out, but a waiting list is available. Contact  blancaluciabergman@gmail.com) 

*The Business of Art Scholarship is offered by San Diego Visual Arts Network and Mission Fed ArtWalk, produced by Art Unites, and sponsored by Sparks Gallery.

Mission Fed ArtWalk - CONNECTING CREATIVE COMMUNITIES. Mission Fed ArtWalk is San Diego’s largest urban arts festival. Over 300 artists participate each year and over 100,000 visitors purchase approximately $1 million worth of artwork. The two-day festival also includes live music, food vendors, and art activities for kids amidst the hip, historic charm of downtown San Diego’s Little Italy.

San Diego Visual Arts Network - San Diego Visual Arts Network (SDVAN) is a database of information produced to improve the clarity, accuracy and sophistication of discourse about San Diego's artistic and cultural life and is dedicated to the idea that the Visual arts are a vital part of the health of our city. SDVAN provides a resource-rich website and facilitates countless opportunities for inspiration and collaboration on visual arts projects.

Art Unites - Art Unites’ mission is to unite artists with fellow artists and arts supporters via Art Unites events and social pages; provide artists with meaningful and professionally rewarding opportunities created by Art Unites and Art Unites Community Partners; and provide San Diego with diverse services and products created, redesigned, or procured by San Diego artists.

Sparks Gallery - Sparks Gallery exhibits and sells original contemporary artwork primarily by Southern California artists who innovate and provide excellent craftsmanship in a multitude of mediums. With a focus on surreal and impressionistic artwork, the gallery curates towards emotive works in themes ranging from portraiture and figurative to landscape and conceptual. Sparks Gallery champions artistic talent in the region and serves as a nexus for creative conversations to elevate the local artistic community.

For more information, contact Blanca Lucia Bergman blancaluciabergman@gmail.com (619) 540-0310