Kalli Arte

Kalli Arte Collective

Kalli Arte Collective is a dynamic, community-rooted artistic family based in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. Formed by artists Adriana Carranza and Alfonso Aceves and their four children, the collective merges visual storytelling, cultural identity, and grassroots activism to create vibrant, multimedia works that celebrate Chicanx heritage and the power of collective creativity. Deeply connected to their neighborhood and its histories, Kalli Arte’s work is both personal and political, honoring ancestral traditions while addressing contemporary social issues. Their practice spans muralism, sculpture, printmaking, and installation, often involving local youth and community members in the creative process. As Artists-in-Residence, Kalli Arte brings a rich, collaborative spirit to CSUN, inspiring students to explore how art can be a tool for empowerment, cultural affirmation, and social change.

Artist Statement (PDF)

Exhibit Gallery

View high quality images of the exhibit below.

Kalli Arte Exhibit Documentation Photo Gallery

A Collaborative, Peer-to-Peer Environment

Each area of the Department of Art & Design has its own methodologies. In Exhibition Design (Art 342 & 542), we bring those distinct practices and individual perspectives to work together and work in a cross-disciplinary environment to design, curate, and promote an exhibition with the Virginia A. Orndorff’s Artist-in-Residence. Although centered around creating an art exhibition, the course focuses on collaboration, experimentation, and creative problem-solving. Exploratory at its core, it investigates what is possible through sustained collective practice. In such a setting, we might enhance—or perhaps even radicalize—our understanding of our artistic practice and encourage us to develop new processes and innovative ways of making. It also has benefits beyond the studio and classroom. Actively working and learning together for an entire semester fosters social and communication skills, as well as cultivates mutual- and self-accountability. Exposure to diverse viewpoints and methods while working on a single project across disciplines improves critical thinking. Through research, workshop sessions, and hands-on projects, we learn how to plan and organize exhibitions, gain curatorial and museum-related skills, and cultivate our own approach to curating.

Consider enrolling in Art 342/542!

Professor Ontiveros

Media