Before the pandemic shuttered schools, Wilkinson Elementary Schoolâs main hallway served several functions at once. It was part art gallery, part communal gathering space where students and teachers would gather before classes began. In the mornings, the entire school would discuss the art, current events, announcements and birthdays.Â
âWe completely lost that as soon as we went online,â said Andrea Caturegli, the schoolâs fine arts teacher. âWe tried in March to have that connection again, but it was really challenging.â
As students gathered on computers at home, Caturegli wanted to replicate that sense of community that focused on art and a sense of inclusion for the kids. By the start of the next school year, she had built just that, a digital gallery called Studio Woo that highlighted student art for the school community to see.
While the COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a new era of screen time Zoom teleconferencing, more Netflix than anyone thought possible and FaceTime as a way to socialize it also seems to have brought out a lot of authors and other creatives in our own backyard.
Here’s a look at the local books, murals and more of the past year, as well as the inventive ways that arts institutions have continued to provide programming during the pandemic.
January
Polar Bear Plunge: An estimated 400 people participate in the Polar Bear Plunge on New Year’s Day at La Jolla Shores. Sponsored by the La Jolla Cove Swim Club, the plunge is a 30-year-old local tradition in which La Jollans and others rush into the cold ocean for play or swim.