Artist and nonprofit founder got his start in Claremont schools

Speaking at Claremont Lewis Museum of Art’s recent 2024 fall gala, artist, nonprofit founder and Claremont High School graduate Anthony Valencia recalled his time in the museum’s arts education program, Project ARTstART.

Valencia credited ARTstART for the skills he developed through his exposure to local museum exhibits, artist talks, and lesson plans he and fellow club members created for students at Claremont elementary schools.

“Having the opportunity to meet [Claremont] artists like Karl Benjamin and Aldo Casanova before their passing, spending countless hours and afternoons venturing throughout Sam Maloof’s home, and getting to know incredible people like Rich Deely, Larry White and Catherine McIntosh was a true honor,” Valencia said at the gala.

ARTstART was founded by CLMA in 2011. The program, directed by Deely, trains high school students who work with college mentors to provide exhibit-based art lessons for elementary school students. “By bringing high-quality, art appreciation classes and activities to the Claremont schools, we hope to inspire students, promote understanding of the arts, and highlight Claremont’s rich artistic legacy,” according to CLMA’s website, clmoa.org.

Valencia lives in New York City, where he has shown his sculptures and mixed media works at several galleries in Manhattan. He also has a jewelry line and sells his work at boutiques throughout New York City and the Hamptons.

In 2019, he founded and launched the nonprofit ShelterShare, which now supports homeless and domestic violence shelters in major U.S. cities with essential supplies like toothbrushes, diapers and other in-kind donations.

“In my work in the nonprofit sector, I still draw upon the values of leadership, community, and purpose that were nurtured in ARTstART,” Valencia said. “And as an artist, the memories, discussions and development of my own creative process continue to inspire the material I produce today.”

An auction at CLMA’s 2024 fall gala raised $33,250 for the ARTstART program.

Valencia concluded his speech by saying, “I’m deeply grateful to the museum for offering such an opportunity, not just to me, but to so many other students. Programs like these have the power to shape lives, and I’d like to believe that I’m living proof of that.”