Vicki Leon Dreamcatcher
The Boulevard is honored to be the home to a special sculpture by artist Vicki Leon, who is a resident of City Heights. “Dreamcatcher” was recently installed on the median in front of the Talmadge Senior Village on the 5200 block of El Cajon Boulevard. The metal and glass sculpture captures the dreams of the neighborhood and brings them down to one localized place, in this case, The Boulevard.
Vicki Leon has a passion for art that is community-based and nurtures relationships and local pride. Her work uses a versatile and site-specific approach to collaboration, content, design and materials. She is especially inspired by the transformation public art can have on a community resulting in vibrant neighborhoods, inter-cultural and inter-generational creativity and healthy community connections.
Vicki is a distinguished visual artist specializing in sculpture, painting, and glass art, inspired by the magic and beauty of light, embracing the metaphor of light in our lives. With a foundation in the arts from California State University at Chico, where she studied sculpture, painting, and glass from 1978 to 1988, she has developed a reputation for intricate and expressive work. Her dedication to public art is demonstrated through participation in various seminars and training, including the Seminars Series on Public Art (2010), the Nonprofit Management for the Arts program at the University of San Diego (2011) and the Pomegranate Fellows Training (2013). She has several public art installations across San Diego county.
Throughout her career, Vicki has received numerous awards and grants for her work, including multiple Best Glass Artist honors at the Laguna Art-A-Fair (2016, 2017, 2018). Her public art contributions have been recognized by the American Society of Landscape Architects, receiving Awards of Merit for the Azalea Park Water Conservation Garden (2015) and the Manzanita Gathering Place (2014). Other notable achievements include the DNA of Creativity Grant (2014) the Great Neighborhood Challenge Public Art Grant (2014) and a Creative Catalyst Grant and Fellowship (2012) from the San Diego Foundation.
Vicki’s work has been showcased in permanent collections across the United States, including the Women’s Museum of California (San Diego, CA), the Museum of Dichroic Art (Orange, CA). Collaborating with renowned artist Judy Chicago, Vicki Leon contributed to Arcanum in Shades of Gray (Canadian Clay and Glass Museum) and Peeling Back (New Mexico Museum of Art).
A committed advocate for public art, Vicki continues to push the boundaries of glass and sculpture, contributing meaningfully to both the artistic community and the cultural landscape.
Dreamcatcher lights up at night and is powered by the sun.
Investment in the public environment with amenities, such as art and more trees, was called out in our BLVD 2020 plan. These elements help transform the corridor away from a fast-paced roadway into a more livable and human scale environment.
Dreamcatcher is not the first art installation Vick has been a part of on El Cajon Boulevard. A wonderful mosaic mural adorns a series of planters at the center of the Little Saigon Cultural District, at El Cajon Boulevard and Menlo Ave.
Learn more about Vicki’s art at: vickileonartist.com
