Marisa DeLuca | What Goes Up Must Come Down /  by Dorian Maldonado

PRESS RELEASE

Marisa DeLuca What Goes Up Must Come Down
From December 14th till Escrow Closes
530 South Coast Hwy, Oceanside California 92054
Awake Service: December 14th, 2024 | 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Burial Site Programming: Begins January 2025

OCEANSIDE, CA — Something about this cycle of gentrification feels permanent, like the tide has turned and will never recede. For generations, Oceanside was the city to come back to—a sanctuary where the rhythm of life was steady, the waves welcoming, and roots ran deep. But now, for many generational renters and working-class families, the city has become unrecognizable, slipping further away with each passing year.

In collaboration with artist Marisa DeLuca, Hill Street Country Club invites the public to honor and mourn the Oceanside we once knew. Our exhibition and community gathering, What Goes Up, Must Come Down, reflects on the loss of affordable housing, familial spaces, and cultural authenticity in the face of aggressive gentrification.

About the Artist
Marisa DeLuca is an Oceanside-based artist whose work delves into themes of home, displacement, and identity through mixed media, including painting, sculpture, and photography. A recent graduate of San Diego State University, Marisa’s art bridges the deeply personal with the universal, offering a lens into the transformative moments of her own life while reflecting on broader social changes.

Her practice is rooted in memory and materiality, often using repurposed and site-specific found objects to tell stories of resilience and loss. Marisa’s recent works have focused on familial spaces and the erasure of community identity, exploring the psychological and socioeconomic impact of displacement on those most vulnerable to the sweeping changes of gentrification.

Solo Exhibition by Marisa DeLuca
As part of the farewell programming, Hill Street Country Club is proud to present a solo exhibition of Marisa DeLuca’s work. Titled “What Goes Up Must Come Down”, this collection reflects on the impermanence of home and the emotional landscape of leaving a place behind. The exhibition, running from December 14, 2024, til Escrow Closes, will showcase Marisa’s poignant mixed-media installations and oil paintings that capture the tension between lost futures and the inevitability of change.

An Oceanside Transformed
As Hill Street Country Club faces displacement from its beloved home at 530 South Coast Highway, many farewells are tied to California’s Ellis Act, which allows property owners to evict tenants in order to "withdraw" properties from the rental market. This policy has been increasingly exploited during the pandemic to issue no-fault evictions, often under the guise of minor renovations.

Between 2020 and 2023, California saw a 40% rise in no-fault evictions, with cities like Oceanside disproportionately affected as landlords sought higher returns from an influx of wealthier residents. Policies originally designed to provide flexibility for landlords now serve as catalysts for widespread displacement, uprooting families, artists, and small businesses.

Marisa and Hill Street share a profound connection to this transformation. The pier fire and subsequent renovations, a poignant metaphor for the city’s prioritization of tourism and affluence, parallel the displacement of its long-standing community pillars.

Looking Ahead
During the Burial Site Programming beginning in January 2025, Hill Street Country Club will share its future plans and vision for supporting Oceanside’s creative community. As we transition to a new chapter in Barrio Logan, we remain committed to Oceanside’s artists, audiences, and the legacy of fostering cultural engagement.

Hill Street will continue beloved programming such as the Oceanside Zine Fair, High Tea Music Festival, and Gentry Fries, ensuring these initiatives remain rooted in the city. We also aim to explore new opportunities, including land acquisition for a permanent community art center near the coast, offering studio spaces and a creative hub for future generations.

Our commitment is steadfast: to amplify local voices, preserve authentic storytelling, and provide spaces for creativity and connection in Oceanside, even as the city evolves.

A Funeral for the Oceanside We Knew
Join us on December 14th, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, for an awake service celebrating what once was. This gathering will honor the memories we’ve created in this space: the laughter, the art, the collective dreams that gave life to our gallery and community.

14 Years of Labor, Love, and Legacy
Hill Street Country Club has been a beacon for Oceanside’s creative community for 14 years, providing an accessible and authentic space for artists and neighbors to connect, create, and thrive. As we commemorate our contributions to Oceanside’s cultural landscape, we invite you to reflect with us on the power of community art spaces and the cost of their loss in the face of gentrification.

Hill Street Country Club thanks you for being part of this journey. Let us celebrate the Oceanside that shaped us, even as we prepare to move forward. Together, we honor the past and embrace the future, knowing that every ending seeds a new beginning.

PRESS

Marisa DeLuca with HereIn, Lainey Tomasoski, HereIn journal, Aug. 23, 2024
Saving what was: Oceanside artist captures on canvas memories of her fast-changing city
Seth Combs, San Diego Union Tribune, Oct. 6, 2024

Vanessa Rishel | Safe Haven, Dark Corners /  by Dorian Maldonado

PRESS RELEASE

September 21st to November 10th, 2024
530 South Coast Hwy, Oceanside Ca 92054
OPEN RECEPTION : September 21st, 2024 from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM.

Vanessa Rishel’s “Safe Haven, Dark Corners” Exhibition Opens at The Hill Street Country Club

Oceanside, CA – September 7th 2024 – Hill Street Country Club is thrilled to announce the opening of "Safe Haven, Dark Corners," a powerful solo exhibition by South Bay San Diego artist Vanessa Rishel. The show will run from September 21st to November 10th, with a special opening reception on September 21st from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM.

Vanessa Rishel's latest body of work delves into the complex realms of the psyche, utilizing dreamscape themes and a striking contrast of light and dark to explore the inner workings of identity and self-perception. "Safe Haven, Dark Corners" showcases Rishel’s unique approach to painting, where childhood trinkets, plushies, and anime aesthetics become models for her evocative scenes. This method imbues her black and gray scale oil paintings with a sense of realism and emotional depth.

The exhibition features "Insomniac Dreamscapes," a series that incorporates baby angel figures and elements of storytelling akin to comics and teen angel art. These elements are deeply intertwined with real anxieties and the quest for self-acceptance. Rishel invites viewers into a liminal space where memory, inner child, and personal trauma confront everyday harsh realities. Her work serves as both a refuge and a medium for exploring existential themes, encouraging introspection and dialogue about mental health and personal identity.

Rishel’s work invites viewers to peer through voyeuristic lenses into her inner world, challenging them to confront their subconscious and their relationship to divinity. The exhibition offers a space for reflection on personal growth, self-acceptance, and alignment with one’s true identity and goals.

About Vanessa Rishel
Vanessa Rishel is an oil painter and conceptual artist based in South Bay San Diego. Her art practice examines the formation of identity and the exploration of liminal spaces. Rishel's career includes notable residencies and exhibitions, such as at Teros Gallery, Phorm Studio, and Bread & Salt, and her work has been featured in various group shows across San Diego and beyond. Rishel is also recognized for her contributions as a writer, muralist, and live painter.

Christian Garcia-Olivo | Interlaced /  by Dorian Maldonado

light colored piece by christian garcia-olivo looking like loose weaved fibers

Interlaced, a Solo Exhibition by Christian Garcia-Olivo

The exhibition runs from September 12th - January 10th

OPEN RECEPTION: September 14th at 12:00 - 4:00

Event Location: Gallery 201, ARTS DISTRICT Liberty Station, 2820 Roosevelt Rd #204, San Diego, CA 92106

Gallery Hours: 8 am - 8 pm, Monday through Sunday

FREE ADMISSION | ALL AGES | ADA ACCESSIBLE

PRESS RELEASE

New Gallery 201 Exhibition in ARTS DISTRICT Liberty Station Navigates the Interplay of Culture, Identity and Existence. Gallery 201 at ARTS DISTRICT Liberty Station debuts “Interlaced,” a thought-provoking solo show by Christian Garcia-Olivo that delves into the evolving nature of identity and culture.

SAN DIEGO, CA (AUGUST 31, 2024) – ARTS DISTRICT Liberty Station, in collaboration with Dinah Poellnitz and The Hill Street Country Club, is thrilled to present a brand-new exhibition opening in Gallery 201 titled Interlaced, a solo showcase by San Diego-based artist Christian Garcia-Olivo. On display from September 12, 2024, to January 10, 2025, this exhibition delves into the intricate interplay between identity, culture, and the fluidity of existence. Audiences are invited to immerse themselves in a realm where the boundaries between self and society blur, unveiling the complexities of navigating spaces of uncertainty.

"Thanks to The Hill Street Country Club, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase my work in a beautiful gallery space at ARTS DISTRICT Liberty Station,” said Christian Garcia-Olivo. “Through ‘Interlaced,’ I seek to unravel the threads of identity and culture, inviting viewers to embrace the fluidity and complexity of our existence. In a world where boundaries blur and identities intertwine, I hope my work inspires a deeper understanding of how we navigate and transform the spaces we inhabit."

Christian Garcia-Olivo’s work is a reflection of his journey as a queer Chicano artist, delving into tools of cultural heritage, resistance to societal norms, and the tension between personal and communal identities. His signature use of sculptural paint skins, reminiscent of smooth candy paint and woven Mexican textiles, creates a vivid tapestry that challenges conventional perceptions of art, identity, and belonging. 

Curated by Dinah Poellnitz, the inaugural David G. Fleet Curator-in-Residence at ARTS DISTRICT Liberty Station, Interlaced challenges the notion of fixed identity and whose values are inherited and perpetuated. The exhibit reflects the complexities of cultural hybridity, and the strength found in vulnerability, offering a critique of both personal and societal structures. 

Through this exhibition, Christian's work engages with the journey of identity, envisioning a future where fragmented identities are not only acknowledged but embraced, celebrated, and ultimately transformed. Christian invites viewers to consider the possibilities that emerge when individuals allow themselves to exist in a state of flux, where ambiguity becomes a source of discovery, creativity, and survival.

“Christian’s new exhibition beautifully embodies the spirit of exploration and transformation that defines ARTS DISTRICT Liberty Station,” said Lisa Johnson, President and CEO of ARTS DISTRICT Liberty Station. “We are thrilled to support this powerful exhibition and offer the community a space to reflect on and engage with these vital themes of identity and cultural fluidity. It is through exhibitions like ‘Interlaced’ that we continue to celebrate and amplify diverse voices and experiences within the arts.”

The new exhibit offers the opportunity to experience the power of art as a medium for exploring the nuances of identity, culture, and the spaces individuals inhabit—physically, emotionally, and socially. The exhibition will feature a virtual artist talk designed to deepen the engagement with Garcia-Olivo's work and foster conversations that resonate beyond the gallery walls. 

ARTS DISTRICT Liberty Station and Hill Street Country Club invite the community to join them in celebrating the opening of Interlaced from 12 pm to 4 pm on Saturday, September 14 in Gallery 201. The exhibition will be on display in Gallery 201 (2820 Roosevelt Rd #204, San Diego, CA 92106) from 8 am to 8 pm each day through January 10, 2025. The public is invited to stop by Gallery 201 for the opening reception and to view the exhibit during open hours.

About ARTS DISTRICT Liberty Station

ARTS DISTRICT Liberty Station is a premier destination in San Diego dedicated to enriching the city’svibrant arts and cultural scene through the revitalization of 26 historic buildings in the former NavalTraining Center. Spanning 100 park-like acres in Liberty Station, ARTS DISTRICT Liberty Station is home to over 100 museums, galleries, artist studios, dance companies, fine dining establishments, creative retail spaces and other organizations. Visitors experience the arts, culture, creativity, and cuisine that are the hallmarks of the San Diego region and enjoy innovative experiences in a historic setting at ARTS DISTRICT Liberty Station that inspires lives for generations to come. www.artsdistrictlibertystation.com /www.ntcfoundation.org

About Hill Street Country Club 

Hill Street Country Club (Hill Street, Oceanside, CA) curates and programs for the creative community throughout the San Diego region. As a holistic collective of art professionals, it exists to push the boundaries of art and culture, by redefining what art is, who can participate, and who benefits. The organization's mission is to elevate youth, BIPOC and overlooked artists and amplify their stories, fostering stronger connections with the public and laying the groundwork for generational change. Through its work, Hill Street Country Club challenges conventions and creates inclusive spaces for creativity and community growth. 

About the Artist

Christian Garcia-Olivo (b. 1988, Santa Barbara, CA) is a San Diego-based artist known for his innovative exploration of acrylic paint as a sculptural medium. In December 2020, he debuted his first solo show, Untitled 2020, at Bread & Salt in San Diego, setting the stage for a dynamic artistic journey. Christian’s work is featured in the San Diego Civic Art Collection and the Mesa College Library, and he has exhibited his art internationally in Italy and Spain, as well as across Southern California at the San Diego Art Institute, San Diego Central Library Art Gallery, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Santa Barbara and at Permanent Storage Projects in Los Angeles. Christian has received recognition for his contributions to the art world, including an Honorable Mention at the Athenaeum’s 28th Annual Juried Exhibition.

Berenice Badillo | Treacherous Titties /  by Dorian Maldonado

gold piece on platform by berenice badillo

TreAcherous Titties: A solo exhibition by Berenice Badillo

August 11 - August 28th

Audre Lorde in her book The Cancer Journals (1980) stated that pain should not be wasted. Cancer came for me in 2023 and turned my life upside down. My whole world stopped, and I felt scared and powerless. I decided to utilize this solo show, this website www.treacheroustitties.com  and my poetry book Will My Nipple Rise like Jesus to tell my story. I was right in the middle of restoring a mural I painted in 1997, in Chicano Park, which houses the largest collection of Chicano murals in the world. Together with my girl gang www.xoque-artinmotion.com we painted the 65-foot behemoth and created the tallest mural in the park made about women, by women, for women. I used art as my beacon, my pen as my sword, and my tears as the oil in my engine to get through Cancer. Inspired by the words of Audre Lorde, I created alchemy out of my Cancer diagnosis and made Cancer my bitch. Yet, my life has forever changed, and, like many survivors, I worry if it will return.

Breast cancer stories are often taboo. On average, 2.3 million women get breast cancer worldwide. The coronavirus-19 pandemic caused delays in diagnosis and management. Latinos in America have the highest incidence of Cancer. Latinas are more likely to be diagnosed at a younger age and with more aggressive cancers. Black women have a 40% higher death rate from breast cancer than any other racial and ethnic group, despite having a slightly lower incidence than White women.

If you have just been diagnosed with breast cancer or know someone who has, remember grief is important. If a woman decides to get reconstruction it’s not “a free boob job” and if she doesn’t, flat is beautiful and great warriors have scars. Don’t give advice or try to fix it, the best thing you can do is hold someone's hand.

Treacherous titties exhibition by berenice badillo flier

Poetry from the exhibition

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Artist in Practice | Cole Douglas – July 11 - August 7 /  by Dorian Maldonado

Gallery space featuring works on the wall and hanging from ceiling

On Display

From July 11th - August 7th at the Hill Street Country Club will host multi-disciplinary artist Cole Douglas (he/him) as he expands on his existing series of abstract mixed-media works on canvas. These new pieces are of a previously unprecedented scale, taking full advantage of the gallery’s open space to develop new techniques and build a more robust mark-making language. Visitors are invited to visit and view works as Cole’s work progresses and attend a public open house with light refreshments to meet the artist.

Artist Statement

After an injury induced identity crisis, I found myself seeking a resolution to the pain I’d felt after carrying the burden of being a Black man in a white America. I soon found that painting and time in nature were a panacea to my ills. The nexus of my identity as a Black man in addition to these activities presented me with the foundation of my work: negroes nature nurture. That is, the juxtaposition between the Black American and natural experience. I present the Black experience in a meaningful way, seeking resolution to our issues and a future reimagined with healthy, thriving, and carefree Black people. 

 I blend gestural acrylic palette knife strokes with energetic oil stick lines to inspire reflection, growth, and the sowing of seeds. Leveraging these mediums, I am able to create an active painting that explores the possibilities of a fruitful Black future. Through these paintings, an intentional reconfiguration of Black values and actions is had – resulting in meaningful change for future generations. That is, the sowing of seeds in our garden.

 The process used to create these radical abstractions lend towards continual discovery as opposed to a specific final destination. This process-based approach, inspired from my engineering background, creates boundless expression to encapsulate all feelings that exist within a given situation allowing the works to serve as both a medium of healing and a path forward to change for myself and others. Creating a community for other people like me searching for healing and love.


About Artists in Practice

Artists in Practice: Artists in Practice is a studio development and exhibition opportunity curated by the collective efforts of Hill Street Country Club. This innovative program is designed for artists who seek to explore ideas and create new works of art free from the constraints typically imposed by institutional deadlines and art world expectations. At Hill Street, we believe in fostering an environment where artists can use the gallery space as an experimental studio, thereby encouraging a sense of liberation in their artistic practice.

This program offers artists a unique opportunity to exhibit their in-progress and completed works as a ceremonial act of letting go, allowing them to transition into new phases of their creative journey. Our goal is to support artists in creating the pieces they are most passionate about and to explore those ideas that occupy their thoughts perpetually, without the paralyzing fear of failure. Through Artists in Practice, we aim to cultivate an atmosphere where artistic experimentation and freedom are paramount in the art-making process, thus enabling artists to push the boundaries of their practice and embrace the full potential of their creative visions.