Art, in whatever the medium, can communicate so much. It can inspire imagination, exude peace and calm, or tell the world the stories of a community and a culture or connect on an extremely personal level.

California State University, Northridge officials are hoping that the acclaimed Boyle Heights-based Kalli Arte Collective will inspire the university’s art students to find and embrace their unique voices as artists. The collective has been selected as the inaugural artist for the Virginia A. Orndorff Artist-in-Residence program.

“There are many types of artist-in-residence programs,” said Samantha Fields, chair of CSUN’s Department of Art and Design in the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication. “There are ones where the artists may come in one or twice and give a lecture and meet with students. And then there are those, like this one, that are much more grassroots, in which the artists are embedded in the program and students have an opportunity to interact with them and truly learn how to embrace their craft and tap into that unique talent that makes them artists.”

“Kalli Arte Collective is a family that has taken a nontraditional route to becoming artists and has strong roots in the community,” Fields said. “Their entire model is one of shared work, shared success and a celebration of their culture and community.”

The 15-week Virginia A. Orndorff Artist-in-Residence program was established to inspire and enhance the opportunities of students, said Chris Orndorff,  “and to honor my wife, Virginia, who has a passion for visual arts and is a 2000 graduate of CSUN.”

Virginia Lescano Orndorff worked more than 15 years in the marketing department of a bank, and several years ago launched a career as a photographic artist.

The Orndorffs also created the annual Virginia A. Orndorff Prize scholarship endowment a few years ago to celebrate the work of student artists. It includes a first-place award of $5,000 to a graduate student; first-place award of $5,000 for an undergraduate student; a second-place award of $2,000 and a third-place award of $1,000, given to a graduate or undergraduate student.

Dan Hosken, dean of the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication, said the Orndorffs’ generosity will transform the lives of the students in CSUN’s art department.

“We’re incredibly grateful to Virginia and Chris for initiating this program that will so deeply impact our students,” Hosken said. “I believe that this special opportunity for sustained engagement with wonderful working artists such as the Kalli Arte Collective will inspire our students to envision and forge their own creative paths toward success.”

University officials asked a panel of Los Angeles-based arts professionals to anonymously nominate artists to inaugurate the program. The nominees were asked to submit applications. Fields, CSUN Art Galleries Director Holly Jerger and photography faculty member Lesley Krane made up the committee that then selected the first Orndorff Artist-in-Residence.

“So many of our students are first generation college students and, instead of choosing a major with a guaranteed ‘job’ at the end, they chose to follow their passions and major in art and design,” she added. “While jobs might not be the first thing people think about when art comes to mind, there are actually many opportunities for visual artists in Los Angeles. As such, we were looking for someone who understood where our students are coming from and can speak supportively about their future and model how our students can leverage their talents into meaningful, professional careers.

“A big part of why we selected Kalli Arte, at least for me as one of the committee members, was their commitment to community, their family as a role model of intergenerational art making and collaborative art making,” Fields continued. “While they work primarily in printmaking, Kalli Arte also makes installations, performances, murals and public art. They even work with textiles and sculpture. As chair, to have someone who could speak to as many disciplines as there are in the department is incredible. It was important for us to invite artists who could reach a diverse range of students and serve as many of them as possible.

“And, if you’ve seen their work, you realize that while it often seems to be speaking on behalf of a specific community, it also touches viewers on a very personal level, no matter where they reside,” she added, “something I think will connect with and inspire our students.”

Self-taught artists and couple Adriana Carranza and Alfonso Aceves launched the Kalli Arte Collective more than 20 years ago. It eventually grew to include their four children. Through printmaking, murals, workshop and installations, the group has dedicated itself to a mission of speaking to the community through art. Some in the artistic community have called the couple the next Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, who became international idols not only for giving birth to Mexican Modernism with their paintings and murals, but also for their political passions and their relationship.

“We are beyond excited to start our work at CSUN,” Carranza and Aceves said. “We are honored to be the first recipient of the Orndorff Artist-in-Residence program. Through our 15-week residency, we hope to make true connections with the students, offer our words of advice and inspire them through our process of making art. It’s important for us to be present and accessible to whoever wants to connect with us.”

The Kalli Arte Collective will be artist-in-residence for most of the 2025 spring semester. Faculty in the Department of Art and Design have been asked to include its work and artists in their syllabi for the semester, and a room near the entrance of the CSUN Art Galleries has been dedicated to the artists. The room has windows that will allow passersby to see members of the collective as they work.

“The windows are equipped with blinds, so that the artists can lower them if they don’t want to be disturbed,” Fields said. “We’re hoping that when the blinds are up, the students see this an invitation to have impromptu conversations about art, the creation of art and what it takes to follow your dreams of becoming an artist.”