A 10-part series celebrating the people and milestones in and around Great Park Neighborhoods as the community celebrates its 10th anniversary.
Arts: Creating Cultural Understanding and Identity
December 4th, 2023
Since the beginning of time, art has been a tool for cultural expression and education. It helps you tap into your emotions, understand your surroundings, and connect with your community. In short, it makes us feel alive.
It's why Great Park Neighborhoods fully embraces the significant and life-enriching role the arts play in the community and society. Since its inception 10 years ago, Great Park Neighborhoods has been intentional in introducing places and activities that encourage artful expression and exploration.
Pranoy, a 15 year-old student from Beacon Park, has been passionate about creating art since he was little. He won two Great Park Neighborhoods art competitions in recent years. Fellow residents voted his “Dazzling Parasol Park” color pencil drawing of the zip line and play structures at Parasol Park (pictured above) as the top selection in a 2021 art show at Cadence Park. His second neighborhood-inspired drawing, called “Paradise in Beacon Park Treehouse,” was also a winner.
“I felt really proud of the results,” Pranoy said. “I felt confident to draw more art pieces.”
“Great Park Neighborhoods has been intentional in introducing places and activities that encourage artful expression and exploration."
Neighborhood Arts Engagement Programs
To cultivate a love for the arts in young people like Pranoy and those who are young at heart, Great Park Neighborhoods’ community association hosts numerous youth and adult programs that encourage artistic expression. They include Music Course, Dance, Zumba, Bharatnatyam, Drawing and Painting Classes, Sand Art Classes, Lego & Art, and Kids Arts and Crafts.
Residents were also invited to participate in two recent collaborative art projects: one during a Great Park Neighborhoods anniversary event at the Great Park Balloon on Sept. 26, and the other at the Great Park Neighborhoods booth during Irvine Global Village Festival at the Great Park on Oct. 14.
OC-based artist Thomas Clark designed initial outlines for two large murals and cut them into individual 8” x 8” tiles. Residents and the greater community then painted colorful designs onto the tiles, which had individual numbers on the back of each that were used to assemble both murals.
The completed artwork from the Oct. 14 event was donated to Second Harvest Food Bank and is now on display at its warehouse at the Great Park (click here to watch a time-lapse video of the art being assembled). There are plans to install art from the second mural in a clubhouse within Great Park Neighborhoods’ upcoming eighth community, Luna Park, once it’s constructed.
Arts in Education
Great Park Neighborhoods’ four schools also offer an abundance of artistic opportunities.
To foster creativity and collaboration at an early age, the community’s three K-8 schools have dedicated music rooms with storage spaces for students’ instruments. Portola High School has 2D and 3D art and music rooms, and a 720-seat performing arts facility that hosts theater and dance productions.
Students’ talent across the four schools — and the larger network of schools within Irvine — is as impressive as the facilities themselves. Irvine Unified School District has received 12 GRAMMY Signature Awards and has been nationally recognized as a “Best Community for Music Education” by the highly regarded NAMM Foundation for 10 consecutive years.
Artful Parks
While all nine parks within Great Park Neighborhoods have their own unique artistic style and design, the fullest celebration of the arts is found at Cadence Park (located across the street from the art-deco-designed Cadence Park School.
Cadence Park includes three uniquely designed buildings that celebrate music, dance, visual arts, and literature. The adjacent art walk contains murals, traditional sculpture, and interactive musical sculptures. It also features a student-created sculpture from the adjacent Portola High School, and works from notable artists such as Jen Stark, Aaron de la Cruz, and Sage Vaughn.
Art Brings Hope
City of Hope Orange County Lennar Foundation Cancer Center in Irvine has also partnered with Great Park Neighborhoods on art-related initiatives in recent years.
The first was Hope Lives in OC, a county-wide initiative in 2021 where more than 35 artists whose lives have been touched by cancer unveiled street art expressing themes of hope. Great Park Neighborhoods’ Cadence Park joined other landmarks such as Disneyland Resort, John Wayne Airport, Anaheim Packing District and Great Park in participating.
The second collaboration was an invitation by Great Park Neighborhoods to create a card or drawing to show appreciation and celebrate the contributions of local nurses. The submissions were displayed on life-size HOPE letters located outside of City of Hope Orange County’s Irvine cancer campus on May 12 (in honor of International Nurses Day).
Music = Memories
Great Park Neighborhoods has a longstanding history of bringing music-loving residents together through programs such as Jam Band Club and Concerts in the Park.
Operation Gig, launched in 2021 by Irvine-based nonprofit Orange County Music & Dance, was particularly meaningful for residents and those who serve our country. Veterans and active-duty military living within Great Park Neighborhoods and elsewhere were invited to participate in one of three free music programs: learn-to-play classes for beginners, jam sessions for intermediate-level musicians, and band rehearsals for experienced players interested in performing in front of an audience.
Operation Gig participants played a free concert at Beacon Park that summer, which ended with residents forming a dance train as the band played Kool and the Gang’s “Celebration.” A good time was had by all.
To emphasize its proximity to local arts facilities and world-class cultural institutions, Great Park Neighborhoods is hosting a 10th-anniversary-themed VIP experience at a performance of Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Who Stole Christmas! The Musical at the Center (playing Dec. 19–24). Ten lucky winners—picked through a local drawing – will receive Center Room VIP/donor lounge access and tickets to the show.
Fun Fact: Members of multi-platinum-selling band Young the Giant ignited their love for music and performing at Irvine schools. Lead singer Sameer Gadhia: “We are a product of Irvine. All of our parents traveled from around the world to raise us there because of its school system. In these schools, we all learned instruments through the music departments. We met through the strong local music scene in high school. Irvine is a gem: a place where people of all religions, races, and cultures meet to achieve their dreams. We have stayed true to our Irvine roots because we believe in the power of its community. We want to show the world the power of Irvine’s art and music scene.”
