Inocente Artist
Art Heals
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rowing up as a homeless teenage artist in San Diego, Inocente Galicia’s inspiring journey came to life in a 40-minute film titled “Inocente.” The film went on to win the 2013 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short. “I hope my art brings the same joy to others that it brought me when I was creating it,” said Inocente. “The one biggest constant in my life, even when I was homeless as a child, and in other times of uncertainty in my life, has been my artwork. It’s always been there for me.” Produced by Andrea Nix Fine and her husband, Sean Fine, the film captured Inocente’s unsettled childhood and difficult home life. Moving at least 30 times, she was homeless for nine of her young years. “Here’s this girl who, on paper, I would expect to be in a gang, maybe doing drugs or something horrible because she’s just had everything in life thrown at her before she’s been 15,” Sean Fine said in a 2013 interview with NPR. “Yet, she’s painting these beautiful, colorful, rich, vibrant paintings. She’s throwing her soul onto the canvas in this beautiful way. I think it’s how she sees the world.” Now 31, Inocente has spent much of the past decade teaching art through the San Diego Opera’s educational outreach program, and at La Maestra Health Centers in City Heights. She also works at a substance abuse program for teens, teaching the virtues of painting as part of a healthier life path. Along with her burgeoning art career, Inocente manages a large Pacific Beach apartment complex owned by local philanthropist and author Barry M. Soper, who befriended her after seeing “Inocente.” After her early years of being homeless, Inocente now has a more stable place in which to live and create her colorful artistry. Bursting with patterns, swirls, and messaging, her often-whimsical paintings bring her a greater sense of purpose than she ever knew possible.
Artist Inocente (Photo courtesy © Inocente Archives)
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San Diego Latino Legacy – Timeline • Milestones • Stories
Chapter 7 – Latino Notables
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