Artists and Individuals utilizing wheelchairs, walkers or who have limited mobility now have easier access entering Upland Art Center and First Street Gallery. The creative hub is where artists work out of the studios of the Tierra del Sol Foundation. 
An Inland Empire Community Foundation grant via the James Bernard and Mildred Jordan Tucker Fund has given that nonprofit an opportunity to create accessible ramps coming into the studio and four accessible doors and entryways into the space for the artists.
“The impact of the grant is huge,” said Lauren Romero, Program Director at Upland Art Studio, which resides within the center. “Before this, we would have to rely on cameras and staff being near a door, but now an artist is able to access the building easily.”
Increasing accessibility—literally—offers an easier pathway to create art inside the studio, which was established in 1989. Tierra del Sol, however, sprang to life in 1971 in Sunland, thanks to the valiant efforts of parents in the region who wanted an alternative to institutional care for their children.
What began as a path to self-advocacy quickly turned into much more.
Residents wanted sons and daughters to be viewed as permanent members of their families and not abandoned to the state. Over time, Tierra del Sol became revered for empowering people with developmental disabilities through various programs, such and Workforce Development, College to Career and Careers in the Art.
“It’s important to know that currently we have 75 artists that use this beautiful creative space on a daily basis and that we are open to the community and the public,” Romero said. “Our artists make their own work, but they also teach and lead workshops that are open to the public—and for all ages as well.”
Romero added that the art center has a significant goal in mind.
“We’re trying to have community participation on all levels, whether that’s us going out into the community, providing workshops led by our folks, but also inviting the community into our big, beautiful space so that it can be shared,” she said.
All the artists who come to the studios to work receive services through regional centers.
“These are services based on a physical or developmental disability,” Romero said. “These folks have made a choice in their career path as artists. They come to us with an interest in creating their own work and their own body of work, but also in how they can kind of create a career, income, and employment in the arts.”
“Some of the other ways that they do that are by offering public workshops and curating shows,” she added. “They work on multiple levels based on their preference.”
Artists of varying ages filter into this eclectic mix, too.
“We serve anywhere from 18 and up, and we have a couple folks in their seventies,” Romero said, noting the average age of artists on hand right now is 25.
“We have all ages and stages of life in adulthood coming here,” she said. “They access materials and supplies needed to make their work. We have online shows. We have a gallery in West Hollywood that features their work, and we submit to shows off-site as well. We really do our best to promote our artists and their work.”
Yet another interesting art center component is BLVD: Pottery & Marketplace. The handmade crafts studio brings artisanal and heritage pieces back into the local community. Here, traditional craft materials and processes are incorporated to find new ways of expression, while also combining the distinction between art and craft.
Learn more at tierradelsol.org.
This story originally appeared in the Press Enterprise, September 2025.
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