The Emerging Artist Residencies in Visual and Performing Arts at Arts District Liberty Station are designed to help artists in both categories, develop their work, build their career in the San Diego/Baja region, engage with other artists, and grow their client base for future success. This multifaceted residency program aligns with Arts District’s goal of elevating emerging artists in our local transborder region by offering access to rent-free studio space and other resources in the dynamic cultural environment Arts District Liberty Station.
In addition to providing studio space, Arts District staff further supports artists-in-residence with the opportunity to showcase original work, as well as provide promotional support, business mentorship, and engagement with the wider creative community.
Emerging Artist Visual Arts Residency
Visual Arts 2026
January-June 2026
Ana Saad (they/them)
Based in San Diego, Ana Saad a.k.a. it (b. 2004) is a multimedia artist working in primarily ceramic and fiber mediums to create sculptural works which speak to queer identities, human nature, and communal interactions. Through the materiality of ceramic and fiber, they use a visual vocabulary of uncanny nature-like motifs to explore and dismantle gender binaries, exploiting the often uncomfortable realities of queer existence. It creates work which offers insight into aspects of queer existence: the all-encompassing discomforts, resistance, anger, and love which intertwine into the queer experience. Within their time as an Emerging Artist in Residence it is looking forward to connecting to others in the community and explore Arts District Liberty Station more intimately, inviting the greater San Diego art community through workshops and open studio events.
Audrey Gingras (she/her)
Audrey Gingras uses sculpture and installation as a language to interpret the space between the physical world and that of spirit, based on histories of religious and craft traditions. Through stained glass, fused glass, ceramics, and steel welding, she explores themes of memory, transience, and ritual. Her sculptures exist in a state of accumulation and evolution, illuminated by ephemeral light filtering through glass objects or wax pooling and dripping down ceramic facades. In her time as an Emerging Artist in Residence with Arts District Liberty Station she is excited to collaborate within a vibrant and supportive creative community and expanding on communal practice work in a setting that encourages experimentation, dialogue, and artistic exchange.
Dance Arts 2026/2027
Diane Campaña (she/her)
Diane Campaña is a Mexican/American dance artist, choreographer, teaching artist, and interdisciplinary creator based in the Tijuana–San Diego border region. Her practice explores themes of identity, mobility, memory, and belonging through contemporary dance, improvisation, videodance, and community-based artistic processes. Working between Mexico and the United States, Diane investigates how border experiences shape the body, examining questions of movement, waiting, labor, resilience, and transformation. Her creative process combines field research, interviews, embodied exploration, and collaborative methodologies to create work rooted in lived experience and social inquiry. Diane has performed and collaborated with artists and organizations across Tijuana and San Diego, including Subterráneo Danza Contemporánea, The Old Globe, the Front Arte y cultura and community-based cultural initiatives. She is committed to creating accessible movement spaces for diverse populations, including youth, older adults, and emerging performers.
aisha reddick (she/her)
aisha reddick (she/her) is a movement artist based in San Diego, California. After graduating from California State University, Long Beach, she found her way through the San Diego dance landscape, gravitating toward spaces that nurtured her artistic curiosity and deepened her commitment to the craft. Along the way, aisha has had the pleasure of collaborating with a range of independent artists, companies, studios, and schools across San Diego and Los Angeles, each experience contributing to the evolution of her voice as both a dancer and creator. In 2025, aisha served as Dance Director at Helix Charter High School, where she guided students through diverse approaches to movement-making and creative exploration. Though her time there was brief, it reinforced the value of community-centered support, student-driven learning, and the importance of cultivating environments where artistic expression can flourish without limitation. Today, aisha is devoted to rediscovering herself as an artist and redefining her place within the San Diego dance community. Through continued exploration, collaboration, and reflection, she remains committed to expanding her practice and embracing new possibilities in movement and performance.
Nick McGhee (he/they)
Nick McGhee is a San Diego-based contemporary dance artist, choreographer, educator, and performer. He received his BFA in Dance from California State University, Long Beach, where he trained in ballet, modern, jazz, and contemporary dance. His work is informed by both somatic movement practices and technical rigor, exploring the intersections of perception, memory, identity, and human connection. As a performer, Nick has worked with a variety of artists and organizations, including Malashock Dance, LITVAKdance, Micaela Taylor, Rebecca Margolick, and Kevin Williamson. His choreography has been presented throughout Southern California, and in 2024 he was awarded first place in the Emerging Choreographer Showcase. Through performance, choreography, and community engagement, Nick seeks to create immersive experiences that invite curiosity, reflection, and meaningful connection. His artistic practice is rooted in the belief that movement can serve as a powerful tool for understanding ourselves, one another, and the stories carried within the body.
Odessa Uno (she/her)
Odessa Uno is a movement based Filipino American artist based in Southern California. She received her BFA in Dance from California Institute of the Arts where she studied performance, choreography, and pedagogy. Her choreographic commissions include works for Malashock Dance, San Diego Dance Theater, DISCO RIOT, Canyon Crest Academy, Coronado School of the Arts, and the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts. She was the recipient of the 2021 San Diego Dance Theater Emerging Choreographers Showcase and Prize. She is currently a Dance Lecturer at San Diego State University. Odessa’s artistic practice is rooted in the belief that movement has the power to foster crucial social connection by creating space for people to share their stories, support one another, and strengthen communities. She views dance as a tool for cultivating critical thinking, embodied adaptability, and emotional awareness. Through dance, she encourages thoughtful engagement with others, nurturing empathy that extends far beyond the studio. At the heart of all of her work is a deep commitment to community, connection, and integrity.