Student Artists Will Take Over Downtown Gallery for PUSD’s 21st “No Boundaries” Show

For 21 years, Pasadena Unified School District students have transformed classroom assignments into gallery installations. This March, the tradition continues.

The district’s annual “No Boundaries” exhibition returns for its 21st edition, showcasing artwork by students from kindergarten through 12th grade at schools across Pasadena, Altadena, and Sierra Madre. The free exhibition is scheduled to open in conjunction with ArtNight Pasadena on Friday, March 13, according to the citywide cultural calendar.

The exhibition has historically been held at The Paseo, the open-air shopping center at 300 E. Colorado Blvd. in downtown Pasadena. PUSD has used the location’s gallery spaces for the exhibition in recent years, placing student artwork in a professional setting adjacent to shops and restaurants.

What distinguishes “No Boundaries” from typical school art shows is its production model. Students at Rose City High School, working with Pasadena nonprofit Side Street Projects, curate and mount the exhibition each year. They learn every aspect of gallery work: wall preparation, artwork selection, placement decisions, and marketing. The teaching artists at Side Street Projects have partnered with the district on the exhibition since it began in 2006.

“No Boundaries” draws submissions from all PUSD schools. Previous editions have featured more than 400 works across various media. The title, according to district descriptions of previous exhibitions, reflects a philosophy of no limits on size, medium, or style, and no boundaries on the creative potential of the students who make the work.

The exhibition opens as part of ArtNight Pasadena, the twice-yearly citywide celebration when museums and cultural institutions offer free admission from 6 to 10 p.m. Free shuttles transport visitors between participating venues. The student exhibition becomes one stop on a cultural tour that includes the Norton Simon Museum, Armory Center for the Arts, and other institutions.

PUSD serves approximately 14,000 students across its schools in Pasadena, Altadena, and Sierra Madre. The district has designated arts education as a core component of its curriculum, offering instruction in visual and media arts, music, dance, and theater from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.

The “No Boundaries” exhibition typically remains on view for approximately one week following its opening reception. Gallery hours in previous years have been 3 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1 to 4 p.m. on weekends, according to district announcements for prior editions.

For more information, contact the PUSD Arts Education Office at (626) 396-3600, ext. 88129, or visit pusd.us/arts.

The first artworks will go up on gallery walls in mid-March. The young artists who made them have already moved on to their next projects.