10 Years of Civic Design Studio!

By Dylan Lanza Desio, PVF Program and Communications Associate

This past week PVF, other funders, and supporters had the pleasure of joining Civic Design Studio for their 10th anniversary event. They celebrated a decade of connecting communities through art, culture, and design. The day was full of music, food, reflections, dancing, activities, — and lots of art!

The work of Civic Design is made possible because of the artists, crew, advisors, and eager students. Although, as many of the supporters and students shared during the gathering, Civic Design wouldn’t be what it is without the guidance and leadership of Founder Tommy Wong. Tommy is an award-winning creative director and arts educator whose work bridges city sectors to uplift underserved communities across the Bay Area. He curates hundreds of large-scale artworks and cultural celebrations while partnering with local schools to blend education, art, and community development.

“We have been able to grow and flourish over the past decade with the continued support of our incredible funders, longstanding partnerships, and our steadfast community.”

— Tommy (Founder), Myan (Operations and Finance Director), and Civic Art Squad

In addition to recognizing their notable anniversary, the event also commemorated the last week of Civic Summer Studio, an annual gathering of youth, mentor artists, and builders coming together to team up on public art projects. Every year, they focus on “public impact projects”, and unite 50+ students across more than six OUSD schools and community colleges to collaborate on large-scale community art and design projects with master mentors. These projects bridge city sectors, spearhead much needed change in neighborhoods, and have gone on to receive awards at state and international levels.

PVF has long supported the impactful work of Civic Design Studio, witnessing their growth and ability to create meaningful results for youth in the community. Civic Design Studio is a team of nationally and internationally award-winning artists, educators, designers, and technologists. They grow community partnerships, collaborative project opportunities, and creative pathways across Bay Area cities by focusing on art, design, ecology, and education efforts that impact urban planning, economic development and public safety. By creating large-scale public displays, design builds, and “evergreen” community cultural efforts, they share the voices of local neighborhoods, public schools, and cultural community hubs.

PVF is excited to continue to be the fiscal sponsor for Civic Design Studio and see the lives of the students be transformed through art.