October 2026 Newsletter

IN THIS ISSUE

• Volunteer Spotlight: Jeannine Savedra
• Include MAFA in your holiday and year-end giving plans.
• Help shape MAFA's future: Take our quick survey.
• September 30 Workshop: Intro to Acrylic Pour Painting
• Introducing our three new Board Members!
• MAFA needs volunteers! You're invited to demonstrate art at Taste of Old Town on October 25, staff booths at community events and provide social media support
• MAFA partnering with KGEM-TV to host the Creative Compound starting in January.
• Calling MAFA Artists to assist at Monrovia High School
• Welcome to our brand new Artist Members!
• Show your work in our six permanent art display locations.

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Volunteer Spotlight: Jeannine Savedra

A huge thank you to Jeanine Saavedra, a talented working artist and dedicated MAFA volunteer, for managing our Clifton Middle School after-school art program! For the past three years, Jeanine has kept the program running smoothly by scheduling our talented teaching artists and coordinating all the details behind the scenes. We are so grateful for her time, energy, creativity, and commitment to bringing meaningful art opportunities to students. She is joined by Nancy Gonzalez, an employee at Clifton Middle School, in bringing this program to life for the students. 

Are you a MAFA Artist Community Member? You may be eligible to teach in the Clifton after-school program and get paid for sharing your creative talents! Contact us at mafa@monroviafinearts.com to learn more.

Make MAFA Part of Your Holiday and End of Year Giving.

As you plan your holiday and end-of-year giving, we hope you’ll consider making a gift to MAFA. Your support helps us bring art into our community through free and affordable programs, youth art education, artist opportunities, workshops, exhibits, and more. MAFA is growing—and your support makes that growth possible. Every gift helps us create more opportunities for artists, connect more students with the arts, and build a community where art is visible, valued, and accessible to all. This holiday season, give a little creativity back to your community. Support MAFA and help us make an even bigger impact in the year ahead!  www.monroviafinearts.org/Donate

Help Shape the Future of MAFA!

MAFA is heading into a strategic planning meeting this November, and we want to make sure our plans reflect the needs, ideas, and hopes of our Artist Community Members. Your feedback is an important part of helping us decide where MAFA should focus its energy and resources in the coming years. Please take a few minutes to complete our quick Google Form at this link and tell us what you value, what you’d like to see more of, and how MAFA can better support you as an artist. Your input will help shape the future of MAFA!

Take the survey and help us build what comes next!

What You Will Learn

--How to mix paint

--The different types for pour techniques 

--You will do types of pour techniques: Flip Cup & Dirty Pour

What You Should Bring

--Two 8x10 or 8x8 canvases

--Optional:

2 oz acrylic paint or tube acrylic paint that you would like to create your painting with.

(There will be plenty of paints available)

Last Workshop of the Year Coming Up Next Month

October 28

New Dimensions in Watercolor

Pete Morris, Instructor

6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Reserve your seat at: monroviafinearts.org/Workshops

September 30 Workshop:

Introduction to Fluid / Pour Painting

Renee Taylor, Instructor

6:30-8:30 p.m.

Monrovia Community Center

119 W. Palm Ave, Monrovia

Admission is free to MAFA members and $15 for non-members. You must register no later than Monday, September 28 at this address:

monroviafinearts.org/Workshops

Instructor Bio

Renee's passion for art has been a life long journey. She grew up in a family of artists: Her father was a successful wood sculptor and her uncle an award winning oil painter. She spent time around artists and art festivals, art galleries and museum showcases because of her father’s work. She found her own love to create art in 2015 and found an art group made up of six women exploring sketching, drawing and painting with water color, acrylic paint, mixed media and more. While she loves creating in different art forms, her passion is abstract fluid art. She feels so much freedom in this form of painting: the movement of paint and the interaction of colors.

Renee sells and displays her art at several art venues in Southern California. She participates at the bimonthly showcase supported by the Laguna Craft Guild. She has also been a part of the Balboa Island Artwalk, Montrose Arts & Craft Festival and Newport Beach Art Foundations Art Walk, as well as art displays at Woodbury University Nan Rae Gallery, Colony Theater and Monrovia Community Center.

"My art embodies bold, joyful colors through abstract fluid painting," she says. "I believe my art is a reminder that each of us has an unique perspective and vision for what we see in art. My art creates a wonderful connection with people and that brings me great joy."

Genia Mills

Joshua Montoya

Jenny Rivera

Welcome Our New Board Members!

We are excited to welcome our newest Board Members to the Monrovia Association of Fine Arts family! We are grateful that they have chosen to share their time, talents, ideas, and passion for the arts with MAFA. Our Board of Directors plays an important role in guiding our organization, strengthening our programs, and building a vibrant community where art is visible, valued, and accessible to all. We look forward to getting to know our new members and working together to continue growing the arts in Monrovia.

Please join us in giving them a warm MAFA welcome!

Genia Mills - Genia has called Monrovia, California, home for 23 years and brings a lifelong passion for the arts to her professional and community service. A playwright and filmmaker, she earned a degree in film and television production from the University of Southern California. Her professional career includes roles with Walt Disney Imagineering and Warner Bros. Entertainment. Genia recently completed 15 years of service as a Community Services Commissioner for the City of Monrovia, where one of her liaison assignments was the Art in Public Places committee. She continues to serve Monrovia as a Monrovia Area Partnership Neighborhood Leader and as secretary and scholarship vice chair for the Monrovia Duarte Black Alumni Association.

Joshua Montoya - Joshua is a local Monrovia business owner, artist, and aspiring author. Joshua and his family trace their Monrovia roots back to 1961 when his great-grandmother first broke ground on her home right outside of Bradbury. Their family still resides in the home today. Joshua has a deep passion for history, architecture and preserving the past. He spent 12 years as an automotive engineer, working primarily for the Chrysler Corporation but later with municipalities and fire departments all across the United States. In 2022, Joshua and his mother turned their passion for creativity and the arts into a retail store called Smudges & Scribbles, originally opening in San Dimas. In early 2026 they were honored to have the opportunity to relocate the shop to their home town of Monrovia. In 2025 Joshua stepped away from his engineering career to dedicate himself fully to his store and the arts. Through the generosity of his store and the community, Joshua has been able to implement and share many free workshops, clubs, and events with the community, including his now "internet famous" Urban Sketching Club and First Draft Club

Jenny Rivera - Jenny was born in Puerto Rico. Under the name “Jengamarie Art,” she’s dedicated to sharing her God-given talent with anyone who dares to dream, trust, and soar. She has participated in various art calls, exhibitions, websites, and virtual galleries where her artwork is displayed and available for sale, including Artsy, The People's Artist Competition, and Etsy. In 2025, Jenny became a member and volunteer of MAFA, and now a year later, she has joined MAFA's Board of Directors. She has been developing four collections, the latest being "Chaotic Flowers," which she has been exhibiting at Monrovia’s Art Nights. Her artworks feature mixed media, including acrylics, pastels, ink, spray paint, and other materials.

More board positions are still available. If you are interested in learning more, contact us at mafa@monroviafinearts.org

MAFA Needs Volunteers!

MAFA is looking for dedicated, creative, and community-minded individuals to support our organization:

Demonstrate Your Art at the Taste of Old Town Monrovia, October 25

MAFA is partnering with the Kiwanis Club to help raise funds for youth of Monrovia during the Taste of Old Town on October 25, 2026 from 5 to 8 pm. We are looking for four Artist Members willing to donate their time to do Live Art during the event. At the end of the evening, the art will be auctioned off to raise funds for our youth programs. A percentage of the profit will go to MAFA youth programs.

You'll be able to hand out flyers/cards to those watching at the event and create new followers and fans. If interested in participating, please email mafa@monroviafinearts.org with the subject line Live Art.

Represent MAFA at Community Events

We need active members to inform event attendees about all of our services and benefits. Please consider tabling at one or more of these events and email mafa@monroviafinearts.org with the subject line Tabling at Community Events.

Help with Social Media

MAFA is looking for a volunteer to help us share the work of our artists, promote classes and events, highlight student opportunities, and tell the story of the Monrovia Association of Fine Arts. You don’t have to be a social media expert, just creative, reliable, and comfortable with platforms like Facebook and Instagram, to record and take photos at events and make videos. If you'd like to help, please email mafa@monroviafinearts.org with the subject line Social Media.

Help Us Build the Creative Compound with KGEM-TV

MAFA is partnering with KGEM-TV to create The Creative Compound. This will be a monthly meet-up at KGEM-TV that is tentatively launching in January 2027 and will include a “spotlighted” artist/creator each month. There will also be “breakout stations” where photographers, editors, writers, and painters can group up to mingle, chat and share. MAFA will be hosting one of those stations.

We are looking for MAFA Artist Members to volunteer to sign up for a 3-month slot to man a station. The station will be designed around your artist's method. Your job will be to stimulate dialogue amongst those who choose that station. If interested in participating and manning a station, please email mafa@monroviafinearts.org with the subject line KGEM-TV. 

MAFA Artist

Nuria Martinez

Calling All Artists: Help Us Support Monrovia High School Students!

MAFA is excited to begin doing more work with Monrovia High School and connecting our Artist Community Members with opportunities to inspire and support young artists!

Right now, we are specifically looking for:

• An oil painting artist who would be interested in mentoring students. You could come for five consecutive days to walk students through a watercolor project, share your artistic process, and provide hands-on support, or visit a few times throughout the month to offer guidance and encouragement.
• A glass blower that could come and show case their work, and talent. 
• Someone who can speak about the powerful connection between art and activism. They would love to hear from an artist, activist, or creative thinker who can share their experiences and spark a conversation about how art can inspire change, amplify voices, and bring people together.

We are also looking ahead for other artist opportunities! We would love to connect with chalk artists who may be interested in helping with a future Chalk Fest, as well as artists who can help high school students review and strengthen their portfolios for college applications in the spring.

If you are interested in sharing your talents and helping inspire the next generation of artists, we would love to hear from you! Contact us at mafa@monroviafinearts.com to learn more.

New Artist Members

We were thrilled to welcome these new

members in the last month:

Mary Kinsler

Adult Artist working in watercolor, oil and acrylic painting

Sonya Borodin

Student Artist at Clifton Middle School

Monrovia Community Center

Century 21 Adams & Barnes

Grey & Cash

Monrovia Chamber of Commerce

Monrovia Historical Museum

Smudges & Scribbles

Artist Members:

Have You Filled Out Your Page on the MAFA Artist Directory?

Just a reminder to find the Featured Member section on the right side of the home page and click on View the Directory. Find your name and upload your contact information, web address, photos and artist statement to promote your work.

Our Mission

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The Monrovia Association of Fine Arts is a 501(c)(3)non-profit organization.

Our mailing address:

Monrovia Association of Fine Arts

433 W. Foothill Blvd, Monrovia CA 91016

(760) 908-8058

If you no longer wish to receive email from MAFA, you can unsubscribe.