Richmond Youth Artists Line 23rd Street with New Public Banners

person installing banners on light pole with blue sky and clouds in background

RICHMOND, CA — July 1, 2026 — NIAD Art Center has installed ten new street banners along 23rd Street, bringing the creativity from inside our studio out onto the street for the whole community to enjoy. Supported by a multi-year grant from the City of Richmond and the Department of Children and Youth, this project brought together NIAD's Young Artist Leaders (YAL) group and Richmond youth community members.

Over the course of two hands-on watercolor painting workshops, youth participants worked alongside NIAD studio artists to practice their painting and bring their own ideas to life on paper. For many, it was a first chance to make art in a real studio setting—seeing their creativity take shape into a public art project in the community.

To celebrate the close of the project, NIAD hosted an ice cream celebration for the young artists and their families. The completion of the project also included a community walkthrough along 23rd Street, where the participating artists strolled through the street together, pointing out their own work, and celebrating their creativity on public display.

The process gave young artists a platform for visibility and an introduction to the power of public art, connecting residents in the Richmond community to a new generation of talent. These banners continue a public art project first funded by the City of Richmond Arts & Culture Division in 2023 to beautify the 23rd Street business district.

This project was made possible by the City of Richmond's continued support for local youth arts programming, funding work that gives young people access to studio space, materials, and a chance to share their art publicly. For the youth involved, the banners are a lasting result of that support—their work on display in the neighborhood where they live.

NIAD's Young Artist Leaders group members: Hector Barajas, Isis Lazaro, Rakelle Burnett, Ronnie Kidd, and Lindsay Lopez.

Richmond artists: Ace Avalos, Avie Contreras, Bay Bradley, Jeremiah Maya-Rodriguez, and Love Alperstein-Doty.

NIAD is grateful to the Richmond Foundation for Children and Youth grant for making this project possible.

 

Two banners of painted portraits on light pole with blue sky in background
Six people stand smiling in front of a building with large windows.
NIAD's building on the left and two banners on a light pole further back on the right.
Five artists spread out in an art studio working on their art.

 

Six people sitting among two tables eating ice cream.

A person stands pointing upward to a banner with their art on it.

 

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