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ArtReach San Diego "Art is so important. It's a joyful story; it's all adding to lives." "In 2007, art was pulled from the [public school] curriculum, and we knew kids need art, plain and simple," says Sarah Holbach, Executive Director at ArtReach San Diego. ough a solution seemed straightforward enough — use existing connections to artists to engage children in a classroom setting to fill that need — it became evident that the role of art in kids' lives is far greater than any one project or experience. "As we've grown, we've just seen how art and creativity play a role in the whole life of a child, and the way that you can approach things in art — it's okay to make a mistake, you learn to try again, work through difficult things, you learn to collaborate — those skills benefit you so much outside of just art," says Holbach. Since its first program, a chalk "quilt" project, debuted in 2008 at Garfield Elementary, ArtReach now provides its no-cost art curriculum for K-12 students at 90 sites throughout San Diego, including schools, libraries, and community centers. A mural program was introduced in 2019, when artists were engaged to work with students to transform and beautify their spaces beyond the classroom. >> ArtReach San Diego @ranchandcoast RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2025 47 ARTREACH SAN DIEGO: COURTESY PHOTOGRAPHY