Tara Graviss is the executive director of Arts for Learning San Diego, an affiliate of Young Audiences National, providing arts education and professional development in San Diego County schools.
By LISA DEADERICKMAY 18, 2019 6 AM
Tara Graviss understands the importance of the arts in people’s lives because they’ve been such a large, critical part of her own life.
As someone who was artistic growing up, later becoming an expressive arts therapist and leading an arts education nonprofit, she’s seen and experienced how being able to express yourself through the arts can lead to healthy growth and development.
“I’m the proud daughter of a career military officer, so I moved every 18 months growing up. … I’m also a natural introvert, so making friends didn’t always come easy,” she says. “I didn’t realize until just a few years ago that the arts were and are the only consistent thread in my life. Being able to express myself visually and through poetry allowed me ways to deal with a traumatic childhood and remains a source for self-inquiry and self-expression.”
Graviss, 55, is the executive director of Arts for Learning San Diego, an affiliate of Young Audiences National. It provides arts education and professional development through in-school and community programs throughout San Diego County.
She lives in Normal Heights with her partner, Ryan Freeze, and their Australian Shepherd and a black cat. She took some time to talk about her work and her passion for arts education and exploration.