By Ryan Downs

Staff Writer

  The third floor of Kellogg library has been witness to plenty of fascinating art exhibits over the many years, but there has yet to be a spotlight quite like this. CSUSM’s most trafficked art gallery is currently playing host to the work of Saul Figueroa, a painter who uses his checkered past, and his overcoming of it, to inspire others.

The artist in question, Figueroa, grew up in Oceanside and joined gang life from an early age, eventually doing time in prison. While incarcerated, he focused on painting using the limited materials he had available. “I am a believer that [art] saved my life and in doing so saved my family,” he wrote in the artist’s statement available at the exhibit. “I am often surrounded by other young men and women; those who suffered like me. But it seems that the language of love comes from deep inside and has touched my heart….” 

Figueroa visited the campus earlier this month to oversee the transfer of his work. His paintings deal with a litany of themes from his life including his sincere Christian faith, his time in prison and his hard life in Oceanside. He hopes his work will strike a chord with others who may have experienced a similar life. 

Especially proud of the exhibit is the coordinator, Melanie Chu. “It’s rare that people get a real big second chance to do something very different with their lives,” Chu said. Chu wanted to try something new with this latest exhibit, using Figueroa’s work to inspire troubled youths and shine a light on problems in a community very close to our own. 

“The purpose of this exhibit is to really connect to what people are learning in class. So you can learn about gang violence in a class, but to see it, to experience it here is to experience it in a different way. It really gives people a different context and a different perspective,” Chu said. 

The exhibit was made possible by the CSUSM Civility Campaign and the Instructionally Related Activities Funds, as well as the Arts & Lecture Series, ArtMiles and Charity Wings. The exhibit will be on display in the library through May 10, and will be open to the public during library hours.