Our Sun Will Rise
May 2 at 3:00 pm to May 22 at 7:00 pm
OUR SUN WILL RISE
May 3 – 22, 2025
RECEPTION: Saturday, May 3, 2025 from 3:00-6:00pm
Los Angeles, CA — The Art Galleries at California State University, Northridge present Our Sun Will Rise — the culmination of CSUN’s first Virginia A. Orndorff Artist-in- Residence program. Taking place May 3 – 22, 2025 in the CSUN West Gallery, the exhibition will showcase work made by Kalli Arte Collective during their time spent as artists-in-residence at CSUN’s Department of Art & Design in the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication. Known for their works such as the Reimagination mural at Roosevelt High School and their Sueños Real exhibition at Self Help Graphics & Art, this unique residency program gives the Collective access to facilities to explore new mediums with greater depth and creative freedom. Self-taught artists and couple Adriana Carranza and Alfonso Aceves founded Kalli Arte Collective in 2004, which grew to include their four children, Sara, Ione, Diego, and Emilio. The Collective began as a way to express their identity and continues to serve as an inspiring model of what collaborative intergenerational art-making can look like. Named Kalli after the third day of the Aztec calendar, the word signifies home, family, and community—gracefully encapsulating the Collective’s dedication to those ideals. Their family’s work broaches a wide range of mediums and demonstrates the specific influence of Mexican-American family history and culture.
Our Sun Will Rise orbits around the love that Aceves and Carranza feel for their newly- born granddaughter. “She has awakened something within us to help navigate us through this life. We want to share this love with everyone so it keeps expanding for all those who may need it,” Carranza writes. Their love for their granddaughter expands into an emotional celebration of their decades of love and dedication to art, family, and community—an inspiring showcase that embraces vulnerability, touches hearts, and heals souls. Aceves adds: “As a self-taught artist, printmaker, and third-generation Mexican American, I’ve embarked on a journey of self-discovery through my art. Growing up, I felt a profound disconnect from my culture and heritage. However, through the medium of printmaking, I’ve unearthed a deep connection to the spirit, culture, and history of my ancestors.” The Collective’s prints and mixed media works tell a vulnerable personal history to engage with viewers in a unifying narrative. Visuals inspired by the Collective’s history and motifs pulled from life in Los Angeles create body of work that shares the beauty and love of family and embraces identity to inspire community. Aceves elaborates: “As community artists, we’ve found that printmaking is one of the most effective ways to communicate with and engage our community. Our practice is deeply rooted in the belief that accessibility and direct engagement are essential to building meaningful connections. Our work reflects our shared experiences—our struggles, joys, and triumphs—and serves as a mirror to the realities of our surrounding community. Whether addressing social justice or celebrating cultural heritage, our art is a narrative of resilience and identity.”
As the inaugural Virginia A. Orndorff Artist-in-Residence, Kalli Arte Collective has taken this unique opportunity to generously share their radically family-centered practice and professional artist experience with the CSUN community. Throughout the Spring 2025 semester, students are collaborating with Kalli Arte Collective to organize and realize their upcoming exhibition. During their residency, Aceves and Carranza have created new works through engagement with print and ceramics classes. Curation, press, and production for their exhibition has been entirely student-led through the artists’ collaboration with the Exhibition Design class and student studio assistants. With the
collective resources and backing of CSUN’s Department of Art & Design, Kalli Arte Collective’s Our Sun Will Rise continues to plant the seeds of community and collaboration.
Thanks to the Virginia A. Orndorff Artist-in-Residence Program, students have access to work with and learn directly from professional working artists like Kalli Arte Collective that serve as mentors, role models, and inspirations. Together they trailblaze a multifaceted and inclusive approach to art-making that empowers students to learn professional skills and embrace their own voices.
Our Sun Will Rise will run from May 3 – 22, 2025 with an exhibition reception on Saturday, May 3rd from 3:00-6:00pm. The reception will be in conjunction with the 2025 MA | MFA Graduate Exhibition and Graduate Open Studios.
About the Artists: Kalli Arte Collective was started 20 years ago by self-taught artists Alfonso Aceves and Adriana Carranza and now includes their four children: Sara, Ione, Diego, and Emilio Aceves. From Boyle Heights, Kalli Arte is dedicated to speaking directly to their community and beyond through printmaking, gallery exhibitions, art installations, murals, community workshops and marketplaces. Kalli Arte Collective’s work has been exhibited at Self Help Graphics & Art, Avenue 50 Studios, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Fullerton Museum Center, Cal State Los Angeles Library, Sacramento Soul Collective, and Galeria de la Raza in San Francisco. The Collective’s work has been written about in the LA Times and other publications.
Our Sun Will Rise is curated and produced by the Spring 2025 ART 342/542 Exhibition Design Class in collaboration with Kalli Arte Collective and CSUN Art Galleries. The exhibition is made possible through the support of the Virginia A. Orndorff Artist-in-Residence Program. Additional support provided from the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication; Instructionally Related Activities Committee; and Arts Council for CSUN.
Image: Our Sun Will Rise reception poster & flyer by Kalli Arte Collective