Mission

Hijos del Sol creates opportunities, inspires children and youth, and builds community in the Salinas Valley through visual and multicultural arts education, experiences and mentorship, where young people are respected, develop artistic and life skills, and explore and embrace their cultural identities.

The Big Idea

Hijos del Sol creates opportunities for students to experience the arts in a multicultural, diverse environment through hands-on learning and mentorship. This year, the nonprofit hopes to provide the Migrant Education Center in East Salinas with supplies and materials in order for them to create a year-round art instruction program. Art can help inspire, connect, and create a sense of community, making a difference in the lives of those who would otherwise be unexposed to it. By providing materials, instruction and experience to the migrant community, Hijos del Sol hopes to transform the lives of those involved.

Hijos del Sol is like my second family. I have met some of my closest friends in the art studio. I’ve been coming to the art studio since I was 7 years old and I am now 17 and I’ve seen a huge progress in my work. I’ve had the chance to exhibit my artwork on many exhibitions like “A Toda Madre”, “Garabatos” and “Dias de Muertos.” Throughout the years, I’ve worked alongside very skilled illustrators such as José Ortiz, Pepe Nolasco, and David Rubio and with many others like them. I’ve learned the art of sharing my attained skills with others that, like me, are growing up inside the Hijos del Sol studio.

- Victor Damian Hernandez