FOR ONE DAY...
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Classrooms turn into ART STUDIOS
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Students work with PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS
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EXPERIMENTING with new materials and ideas
YUCCA VALLEY ELEMENTARY
TINY WORLD TERRARIUMS
Design and build your own miniature world inside a container using sand, plants, found treasures, and optional handmade Sculpey creatures.
JILL LUST
Is a retired food and photo stylist, recipe developer and entrepreneur who has explored a number of interesting careers in her life time. From pig farmer, to flight attendant and everything in between, she brings a zest for life and a compassionate heart to everything she does. Now living a semi nomadic life in 3 distantly different countries, she believes that the true essence of being an artist is the way that you live your life on a daily basis. She dabbles in many creative endeavors but photography and assemblage art are her 2 favorite mediums. She especially enjoys working with children and appreciates their curiosity and boundless imaginations.
REEL FUN! FISH DERBY
Part art project, part game—create wild, wacky fish, then use your handmade magnetic rod to hook, reel, and compete in a fishing game.
JEN SHAKTI
Jen Shakti is a painter known for her bright and whimsical desert themes. Her realistic paintings are botanically detailed and show unique and imaginative interactions between plants and animals of the desert.
WATERCOLOR WIZARDRY
Go big and let loose. Tilt, drip, and watch color run wild, then hunt for hidden shapes and bring them to life with pen and ink.
Concept images only (art by Heather Sprague)
HEATHER SPRAGUE
Heather Sprague is a native Californian, and longtime resident of the Morongo Basin, with ties going back four generations. She has Bachelor degrees in Art History and Art Studio from the University of California, Davis. She now works full time as a professional artist and photographer. When she isn’t focused on her own fine art exhibitions and projects, she volunteers her time as President of Joshua Tree Living Arts, and has taught in after school art programs throughout the Morongo Unified School District for the last two years. Heather works with children in the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program as well as with children in need. Her art curriculum takes both an art historical approach as well as a technical approach, giving her students the broadest exposure to the visual arts as possible.
ALL HANDS! BUBBLE MURAL
Explore playful techniques to create a large collaborative mural. Finger paint bold color, form giant bubbles with your hands, and print patterns with found objects.
Marketing image only (photo by others)
MARISOL 'SPARKZ' GOMEZ
I’m Marisol Gomez, also known as Rainbow SparkZ the Clown, a multidisciplinary fine artist and performer based in the high desert. My work blends visual art, puppetry, movement, and interactive experiences to create immersive, joy-centered environments. With over 10 years of experience in murals, live art, face painting, and handcrafted jewelry, I also develop original teaching curricula that encourage creative expression and imaginative play. My work is rooted in storytelling, color, and connection—bringing art to life through both object and experience.
ROLL IT: SUSHI SNACKS
Food becomes art. Experiment with flavors, textures, and presentation as you roll veggie and candy sushi to create treats you can take home.
Concept images only (photos by others)
HEATHER DRAKE
A multimedia teaching artist who lives and works in 29 Palms. She holds a BA in Art Education from Cal State San Bernardino and is a certified California Naturalist. She has worked as an Art and Naturalist Educator and Camp Director with public charter schools throughout Southern California. Heather’s work is inspired by her love of nature and cultural anthropology. Humor and irony are often at the heart of her work, which incorporates ideas sparked by upcycled materials and nostalgic pop culture references from her 1980s childhood.
BUILD-A-BOT
Design and build large cardboard robots together, then become the voice of the machines, performing original robot raps inspired by your ideas and AI.
Concept images only (photos by others)
WULFPAK
A multidisciplinary artist who creates bold, powerful performances using drums and music inspired by ancient traditions. Their unique approach blends tribal techno with raw, spiritual energy, creating immersive experiences that explore freedom, inner strength and a deep connection to nature.
FREESTYLE DANCE LAB
Create original dances, design props and environments with upcycled materials, and bring it all together in a final performance.
Concept images only (photos from Twinkle Toes Dance Company Hi Desert)
KAREN GLADIS
Karen Gladis began her classical dance training at an early age and went on to pursue her BFA in Modern Dance, Dance Education and Sociology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Karen has over 30 years of teaching experience and is deeply passionate about nurturing and promoting creativity and confidence in her dancers. Her choreography credits include: The Nutcracker and original adaptations of Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz, The Snow Queen, The Rainbow Fish, and The Lorax. She is very excited to become a part of the dance community here in the Morongo Basin and opened up her studio, TTDC Hi Desert, in Twentynine Palms in 2025. In addition to running her studio, Karen is a choreographer with Dance Mojave, on staff with Groundwork Arts, and is very proud to be the choreographer for Theatre 29’s Rodger and Hammerstein's “Cinderella”.
OPEN STUDIO
Make what you want—combine unexpected materials, test ideas, and see what happens when you follow your instincts in a studio built for real experimentation.
MARCIA WINN
A native of Costa Rica, Marcia Winn developed an early love of travel and language as a high school exchange student in the United States. She holds a bachelor’s degree in French literature and a master’s degree in education. Marcia’s ability to communicate with diverse groups of people aided her in her work in hospitality in South America. Currently living in Joshua Tree, California, Marcia is pursuing a career in language education. She enjoys making ceramics, crocheting, and hiking.
PALM VISTA ELEMENTARY
CRAZY 3D CARDBOARD
Use a ChompSaw to cut, slot, and build free-standing cardboard animals, objects or entire environments.
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Concept images only (photos by others)
JEEYUN HA
I'm an interdisciplinary artist, combining Fine Art, Biomimicry & Sustainable Landscape Design. My passion is to create work that is equally fine art & food source and/or soil regeneration. I also love to create mixed media works that utilize found objects, discarded materials and green waste, creating value, function and beauty to what was once regarded as worthless.
GLOW & TELL: SHADOW LANTERNS
Cut, fold, and build your own paper lantern, then switch on the light and watch your designs cast bold shadows that tell a story.
Concept images only (photos by others)
MARY EVANS
An interdisciplinary artist who creates dynamic environments that push the boundaries of two mediums: sculpture and video. She is known for creating large-scale papier mache sculptures used in immersive sets to craft her own visual language. Mary holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Evergreen State College and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Oregon. Influenced by the Southern folk art of her upbringing in Franklin, Tennessee, she blends DIY craft with themes of transformation and imagination. Her work often incorporates playful elements, reflecting a hands-on approach to creativity.
SPACE PIRATE COMICS
Draw your own space pirate or alien character, then bring it to life in a flip-and-reveal cartoon book where expressions and stories change with every turn.
Concept images only (photos by Jess Drake)
JESS DRAKE
I have been obsessed with drawing ever since I can remember. This led to the exploration of Comic Art/Illustration, Painting, Photography and Graphic Design. Eventually, I became an Art Educator as well as a Graphic Artist and Illustrator. I have taught Comics and Cartooning for five years. I possess a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and a Career and Technical Education Credential in Arts, Media and Entertainment. In the past, I have taught Drawing, Illustration, Graphic Design and Digital Photography.
RHYTHM RIOT
Feel the pulse and make some noise as you build your own drums and dive into hands-on rhythm that gets your whole body involved.
KEVIN ZIEBER
Kevin is a multi-instrumentalist with a lifelong love of music. He has performed in bands for over 20 years, and he has been shaped by the wonderful musicians and friends encountered along the way. Playing in bands from Ohio, Washington, DC and California has given Kevin a wide range of experience with musicians from all across the country. He has also been a volunteer after-school tutor at the Museum of Unnatural History in DC and a reading tutor for Read With Me at Cathedral City Elementary. Kevin is an active part of the arts community in the high desert, and he is passionate about sharing his knowledge and experience of music with the next generation. At Groundwork Arts, Kevin combines his love of teaching and mentorship with his passion for music to help kids listen to both the world around them and each other with intention, find their own creative voices, and express themselves in ways that only music makes possible.
FREESTYLE DANCE LAB
Create original dances, design props and environments with upcycled materials, and bring it all together in a final performance.
Concept images only (photos from Twinkle Toes Dance Company Hi Desert)
ELENA RICCI
Elena Ricci is an artist, anthropologist, and educator residing in California’s high desert. Originally from Massachusetts, she has fifteen years of dance training with a focus on ballet and jazz. For the past twenty years, Elena has gained invaluable experience working with children and teens in various educational settings. She has worked as a Montessori classroom assistant, a homeschool teacher, a private nanny, an arts workshop educator, and a camp counselor, mentoring students from ages two to sixteen. Elena is excited to incorporate her love of dance into her role as an educator and looks forward to teaching and learning with her students.
YARNLANDIA
Weave your way through Yarnlandia as you build a giant, colorful maze using yarn, ribbon, cardboard, and your wild imagination.
Concept sketch (by Ivah Drake)
Concept image only (photos by others)
IVAH DRAKE
Ivah Drake is an illustrator and multimedia artist based in 29 Palms, CA. Neurodivergent, she found art to be a refuge and a space to thrive. Her work is featured locally at venues like Goat Mountain and Space Truckin’ Gallery, and she’s a member of the Sunspot artist co-op at Art Queen in Joshua Tree. With experience assisting in high school art classes and summer programs, she continues to hone her skills, including a summer at Idyllwild Arts Academy. Ivah plans to study at Copper Mountain College, pursuing book or graphic novel illustration while growing her career in the Morongo Basin’s vibrant art community.
LIVING LANDSCAPE MURAL
Use your body to form shapes in a giant landscape mural. Hair becomes clouds, hands become flowers, bodies become mountains—then paint it all together into one bold, collaborative artwork.
DEVINO TRICOCHE
A self-taught abstract painter based in Wonder Valley, whose work is deeply influenced by the people and places he encounters. His emotionally driven paintings are composed of energetic layers of oil, acrylic, and charcoal, each representing a fragment of a story. In addition to his work as a painter, Devino is an accomplished musician, magician, fire artist, and master creator of balloon animals.
CLAYTOPIA: FUTURE CREATURES
Sculpt a never-before-seen animal in clay, then dream up its world—how it lives, moves, and survives in the wild.
ISABEL GUTIERREZ
I am primarily a painter with a muralist background. I received by MFA of Fine Art at School of Fine Art (SVA), New York in 2017. I grew up in an artist family, my mother is a professional interior designer who taught me how to sew. My father is a muralist from the Chicano Mural Movement, who I grew up assisting with his community-centered murals. The process of creating murals as true public artwork informed my artistic approach deeply. I have experience collaborating by canvassing, brainstorming, sketching and teaching children and adults alike how to create art whether they think of themselves as "artists" or not!