Artists + Practitioners + Organizations

Meet the artists, practitioners, and organizations! Far South/Border North awarded funding to support artists and cultural practitioners working in disciplines from performing arts, visual arts, music, film and media, and literature to multidisciplinary and socially engaged forms.

Far South/Border North Round I Grant Recipients

Our Round I grant recipients include about 60 artists and cultural practitioners from San Diego and Imperial counties. Round I grant recipients began developing their campaigns in June 2023, and are now implemented those campaigns through May 2024.

Malik "Potnt Child" Glasgow

Imperial County

Malik Glasgow (stage name Potnt Child [Potential]) is a singer-songwriter, music producer, performing artist, saxophonist, graphic designer, fashion designer, and model. He's collaborated with various musical artists in the Imperial Valley and Southern California to create unique listening experiences and has performed often during local festivals, shows, expos, and gatherings. As an avid admirer of all forms of expression, he aims to help others bring their ideas from concept to creation through his organization Producing Happiness.

Johnnierenee Nelson

San Diego County

Award-winning poet and playwright Johnnierenee Nia Nelson, aka the Kwanzaa Poet, has written and published six books of poetry. Ms. Nelson is a poet/teacher with California Poets in the Schools and San Diego's Border Voices Project and a performance poet who has presented readings and workshops from Cairo, Egypt, to Vancouver, British Columbia. She also appeared in the Emmy-Award-winning documentary "Lighting the Way." In 2017, Nelson received a Fellowship from the Livingkindness Foundation to attend the International Women Writers Guild's 40th Annual Summer Conference in Allentown, Pennsylvania. She serves as the San Diego County Area Coordinator for California Poets in the Schools and as Poet Laureate of the World Beat Cultural Center in San Diego's Balboa Park.

Amber Green

Imperial County

Amber Green was born and raised in the small town of Marshall, Texas, home of "The Great Debaters." She studied studio art at Arizona Western College and the Art Institute in Dallas. She now lives and works in El Centro. Green works primarily within the medium of animation.

Paul Valdivia

Imperial County

Paul Valdivia is the Communications Coordinator for the Imperial Valley Social Justice Committee. A graduate of the University of California Los Angeles, he specialized in History with a minor in Film, Television, and Digital Media Studies. His role is multifaceted and includes videography and photography focused on social issues. Valdivia uses art to advocate for social reform. His primary goal is to continue driving impactful change in his community. Valdivia is firmly grounded in his beliefs and translates his convictions into tangible action, aiming to create a more equitable society through his work.

Evan Apodaca

San Diego County

Evan Apodaca received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is best for his film "Que Lejos Estoy," which streamed nationally on PBS in 2016. His work has been screened and exhibited at museums and galleries nationally, including the San Diego International Airport, the New Americans Museum, The New Children's Museum, and the University of New Mexico. In 2018, he was the Associate Producer and Animator for "Singing My Way to Freedom," an award-winning feature film about musician and civil-rights activist Ramon "Chunky" Sanchez. His films have been screened at the Chicano International Film Festival (LA), the Tijuana Film Festival, and the San Diego Latino Film Festival. Apodaca was a 2019 San Diego Foundation Creative Catalyst fellow and recipient of the National Association of Latino Arts & Culture's Border Narrative Change Grant in 2021.

Lissbeth Garcia

Imperial County

As a former teacher or (edutainer) with a background in psychology, Lissbeth Garcia works with varied media including cardboard boxes, acrylic paints, music, play writing & performance. As a seminar administrator, she has worked in the medium of communication, seeking to mobilize & inspire others.

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Far South/Border North Round II Grant Recipients

Our Round II grant recipients include 18 San Diego and Imperial County organizations. In fall 2023, they hired artists and cultural practitioners and began working alongside them to develop their campaigns, and implemented them through August 2024.

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