Two recipients of the City of Santa Ana’s 2024–25 artist grants presented project updates to the Arts and Culture Commission on Jan. 15.

Luis Sarmiento presented for Thrive Santa Ana Inc. on a planned mural at La Colmena, the city’s first community land trust site. Sarmiento described La Colmena as an urban farm with affordable commercial and event space and said the project used participatory community design sessions and outreach to youth, seniors, veterans, LGBTQ+ artists and Spanish speakers. He said Thrive has contracted muralist Alicia Hsu to produce the work and is painting the mural on cloth so it can be relocated if necessary; Sarmiento also said Thrive is working to acquire the site from the city so the land trust can own it permanently.

“I think this is a really powerful example of connecting art and community‑led economic development,” Sarmiento said, describing design meetings with La Colmena operators and resident input.

The commission asked logistics questions about the site and ownership; Sarmiento said the wall is owned by a private company (G and M) that granted permission for the cloth mural and confirmed the mural materials have been purchased and the artist is painting in studio.

Ileana Zepeda de Leon presented 'Ceramics in the Community,' a bilingual two‑day workshop held Nov. 21 and Dec. 18, 2025 at KidWorks’ Bishop Manor. Zepeda reported roughly 40 participants of all ages and more than 70 hand‑built pieces displayed at the community show. She described choosing water‑based acrylic paint rather than traditional glazing to give participants consistent color outcomes and to reduce kiln‑related risks for pieces made by very young participants.

Commissioners praised the projects’ participatory approaches and multi‑generational reach, and several encouraged grantees to apply for upcoming artist grants and sponsorships. No formal action was taken on the presentations; commissioners noted both projects as examples of community engagement the master‑plan refresh should support.