Light of Love has always paired support for children in need with something just as important: time to draw, paint, and imagine. In 2027, AYAA will continue the initiative and reach more children and teens through free workshops, donated art supplies, and public art classes.

Why art education

We believe art education builds creativity and empathy, and gives children a way to express what they cannot always put into words. For many young people, a class with a working artist is the first time anyone has asked them what they see.

What we are planning for 2027

• Free art workshops led by AYAA artists and volunteers
• Donations of brushes, paper, paint, and sketchbooks to schools and community centers
• Public art classes open to children and their families
• Mentoring that connects young participants with working artists

Every Light of Love class is led by artists who volunteer their time. Young artists from the AYAA community help teach, so the children who learn today can become the mentors of tomorrow.

How to help

Schools, community centers, and companies that would like to host a class or sponsor supplies can write to us at ayaamarketing@gmail.com. Artists and students who want to volunteer are welcome too. Donations to AYAA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, are tax-deductible.

In a new profile, LA Weekly looks at the work of Mengyi Grace Wang, a cross-cultural painter who treats flowers as a bridge between places and identities. Her solo exhibition, Blooming in Roots, is on view at the Costa Mesa Senior Center through December 31, 2026, as part of the City of Costa Mesa's 2026 exhibition series.

The article follows one plant through her life: velvet sage, which she first saw on a school trip in Beijing and later found again in London and across the United States. Working mostly in acrylic, Wang combines Impressionist color with techniques from traditional Chinese painting, and paints her flowers in the middle of change, opening or turning with the season.

Her year also includes group exhibitions at the Compton Art & History Museum and in China, the exhibition Message at CICA Museum in South Korea in December, and the 25th Japan International Art Exchange Exhibition at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in March 2027.

See the exhibition

Blooming in Roots, second floor of the Costa Mesa Senior Center, 695 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa. Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4 pm, through December 31, 2026.

This is a summary. The full article is published by LA Weekly.

LA Weekly profiled Bing Luo, the Los Angeles–based Chinese photographic artist who serves as AYAA's president. Luo is known for All in Love, a work about gender equality that was shown on billboards in Times Square.

The article describes AYAA's work since it was founded in California in 2020: international cultural exchange, resources and exhibition opportunities for young artists, and its part in the 2021 HFPA Golden Globe Young Filmmaker Scholarship program, where five films AYAA recommended became finalists.

It also introduces Light of Love, AYAA's long-term initiative for children in need. The program combines material support with art workshops, donations, and public classes, taught with the help of artist mentors.

This is a summary. The full article is published by LA Weekly.