{"id":83539,"date":"2020-08-11T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-11T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/english-artists-in-nine-california-counties-create-original-works-to-promote-health-for-blue-shield-of-california-members-during-covid-19-pandemic\/"},"modified":"2020-08-11T11:03:20","modified_gmt":"2020-08-11T15:03:20","slug":"artistas-de-nueve-condados-de-california-crean-obras-originales-para-promover-la-salud-de-los-miembros-de-blue-shield-of-california-durante-la-pandemia-de-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/artistas-de-nueve-condados-de-california-crean-obras-originales-para-promover-la-salud-de-los-miembros-de-blue-shield-of-california-durante-la-pandemia-de-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Artists in Nine California Counties Create Original Works to Promote Health for Blue Shield of California Members During COVID-19 Pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\"><![CDATA[\n\/* Style Definitions *\/\nspan.prnews_span\n{\nfont-size:8pt;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\n}\na.prnews_a\n{\ncolor:blue;\n}\nli.prnews_li\n{\nfont-size:8pt;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\n}\np.prnews_p\n{\nfont-size:0.62em;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\nmargin:0in;\n}\n.prngen2{\nBORDER-TOP:1pt; BORDER-RIGHT:1pt; VERTICAL-ALIGN: BOTTOM; BORDER-BOTTOM:1pt; PADDING-LEFT:0.50em; BORDER-LEFT:1pt; PADDING-RIGHT:0.50em\n}\n.prntblns{\nBORDER-TOP: 1pt; BORDER-RIGHT: 1pt; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1pt; BORDER-LEFT: 1pt\n}\n]]><\/style>\n<div class=\"xn-content\">\n<p><span class=\"xn-location\">OAKLAND, California<\/span>, <span class=\"xn-chron\">Aug. 11, 2020<\/span> \/PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE\/ &#8212; Blue Shield of <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span> is teaming up with artists in nine counties to create original artwork as part of an education and awareness campaign that offers support and encouragement during the COVID-19 pandemic to members who face health-related challenges. <\/p>\n<div id=\"prni_dvprnejpg1395left\" style=\"WIDTH: 100%; TEXT-ALIGN: left\" dir=\"ltr\"><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"prnejpg1395left\" title=\"San Bernardino artist Belen Ledezma created a vibrant portrait for Blue Shield of California\u2019s Covid-19 education campaign that focuses on nutrition, food insecurity and the diversity and strength of the community.\" border=\"0\" alt=\"San Bernardino artist Belen Ledezma created a vibrant portrait for Blue Shield of California\u2019s Covid-19 education campaign that focuses on nutrition, food insecurity and the diversity and strength of the community.\" align=\"middle\" src=\"https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/1226521\/Blue_Shield_of_California_San_Bernardino.jpg\" imagelabel=\"General\"\/><\/div>\n<p>More than 200,000 Blue Shield members, ages 35 to 64, will receive customized-art postcards over the next two weeks that encourage them to build healthy habits, especially during the COVID-19 crisis. For example, taking advantage of the nonprofit health plan&#8217;s Wellvolution program to better manage stress, treat existing conditions, and improve mental and physical health.<\/p>\n<p>Wellvolution offers members more than 50 digitally driven health programs to choose from, which address specific health goals, conditions and health risks, and the program is available to most Blue Shield members at no additional cost. This outreach campaign is the latest example of Blue Shield&#8217;s efforts to help members prioritize their health from the convenience and safety of their homes to prevent, treat or even reverse chronic conditions.<\/p>\n<p>Eight artists are participating in this initiative. Their artwork reflects the local identities of the nine counties they represent and interprets the theme &#8220;food is medicine.&#8221; The <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2881725-1&amp;h=1733573327&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.blueshieldca.com%2F2020%2F08%2F11%2F8-artists-9-counties-blue-shield-of-californias-community-outreach-campaign-to-promote-health-during-the-pandemic&amp;a=artists\" rel=\"nofollow\">artists<\/a>\u00a0for this program were chosen for their community engagement as artists and advocates for a wide range of causes that include mental health, diversity and inclusion, and ending homelessness. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;With this art collaboration, we&#8217;re stepping outside our &#8216;clinical&#8217; engagement with members,&#8221; said <span class=\"xn-person\">Angie Kalousek<\/span>, director, Mind-Body Medicine at Blue Shield. &#8220;We&#8217;re tapping into local pride and the power of art to help inspire and give comfort to people during this pandemic, which is having profound effects on the physical and emotional wellbeing of us all. Art chronicles our lives and experiences and reflects cultural values, beliefs and identities. Our theme that \u00a0food is medicine is intended to support members and inspire them to use healthy food as a strong, shareable source of connection with each other.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><b>Nine Regions, Eight Artists<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b><span class=\"xn-location\">Kern County<\/span> \u2013 <span class=\"xn-person\">Sarah Nobles<\/span> and <span class=\"xn-person\">Kei Deragon<\/span> <br \/><\/b><span class=\"xn-location\">Bakersfield<\/span> is home to muralists <span class=\"xn-person\">Sarah Nobles<\/span> and <span class=\"xn-person\">Kei Deragon<\/span>. Each\u00a0 has a life story that has a profound influence on their art. Kei is a veteran of the U.S. Army; she served as a combat medic and now uses her art to navigate service-related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Sarah survived homelessness at a young age and discovered that art was a haven and healthy outlet for her experiences.\u00a0 Inspired to community activism\u00a0 by hate speech painted on a neighborhood wall, Sarah and Kei co-founded Creative Crossing, an art group working to beautify and create safer spaces in <span class=\"xn-location\">Bakersfield&#8217;s<\/span> Oleander neighborhood. They don&#8217;t accept payment for their murals; instead they reinvest profits and donations from their projects in artists and the community. In May, Creative Crossing partnered with Kern Behavioral Health and Recovery Services for the purpose of spreading awareness for Mental Health Awareness Month, creating a socially distanced chalk-art scavenger hunt for residents.<\/p>\n<p><b><span class=\"xn-location\">Los Angeles<\/span> and <span class=\"xn-location\">Ventura<\/span> counties \u2013 <span class=\"xn-person\">Sally Deng<\/span> <br \/><\/b><span class=\"xn-person\">Sally Deng<\/span> was born and raised in <span class=\"xn-location\">Los Angeles<\/span> to Chinese immigrant parents who owned a restaurant in the city&#8217;s Arts District\/Skid Row. That&#8217;s where she taught herself to draw. Sally graduated from the <span class=\"xn-org\">Art Center College of Design<\/span> in <span class=\"xn-location\">Pasadena<\/span> with a BFA degree. Her talent and hard work have led to many successful projects, including creating illustrations for <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2881725-1&amp;h=3961740630&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fp%2FBvzJPf7FbPN%2F%3Futm_source%3Dig_web_copy_link&amp;a=Stanford+Medicine\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"xn-person\">Stanford Medicine<\/span><\/a>, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2881725-1&amp;h=4048885393&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fp%2FBw7PGfxlX67%2F%3Futm_source%3Dig_web_copy_link&amp;a=The+New+York+Times\" rel=\"nofollow\">The <span class=\"xn-org\">New York Times<\/span><\/a>, Vice, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2881725-1&amp;h=3596357357&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fp%2FB55lHolBRxc%2F%3Futm_source%3Dig_web_copy_link&amp;a=Barron%27s\" rel=\"nofollow\">Barron&#8217;s<\/a>, and The Atlantic that tell stories of\u00a0 immigration, the outdoors, and women. She was included in the 2020 Art &amp; Style List for &#8220;Forbes 30 Under 30.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><b><span class=\"xn-location\">Orange County<\/span> \u2013 <span class=\"xn-person\">Larissa Marantz<\/span> <br \/><\/b>Illustrator, cartoonist and educator, <span class=\"xn-person\">Larissa Marantz<\/span> creates visually appealing images and teaches students young and old how to do the same. She has taught art to elementary school students for more than 15 years and has been an adjunct faculty member of <span class=\"xn-org\">Laguna College of Art &amp; Design<\/span> for 12 years. After earning her BFA degree at <span class=\"xn-org\">California State University<\/span>, she worked as a character designer for Nickelodeon&#8217;s Rocket Power and Rugrats shows. Inspired by her family life, she began illustrating children&#8217;s books, and continued drawing Rugrats for Simon Spotlight Publishing.<\/p>\n<p><b><span class=\"xn-location\">Riverside<\/span> and <span class=\"xn-location\">San Bernardino<\/span> counties \u2013 <span class=\"xn-person\">Belen Ledezma<\/span> <br \/><\/b>A Chicana artist raised in <span class=\"xn-location\">San Bernardino<\/span>, <span class=\"xn-person\">Belen Ledezma<\/span> studied art <span class=\"xn-org\">San Bernardino Valley College<\/span>, but mostly is self-taught. An artist and teacher, Belen uses her creativity to influence her community and teach art basics to young children. She is involved in work related to inclusivity and the diversity of <span class=\"xn-location\">San Bernardino<\/span> and the Inland Empire, especially for women. She is deeply focused on her Indigenous\/Latinx roots, which are reflected in her art.\u00a0Belen has been a featured artist with\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2881725-1&amp;h=789123208&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.proofpoint.com%2Fv2%2Furl%3Fu%3Dhttps-3A__sbgennow.org_about_%26d%3DDwMFaQ%26c%3DhNAZrKxPkhfPADjr9wUJ4I9GS8ZQPNEcFQu4kKjVcNw%26r%3DKl6esSI4v1dGCVmigc2myBe4fNiDtvOaqCxzcJkbHAc%26m%3DWkVCEa3UVa12X-vSJuSpfNAjfeXKP0wAyG4Iw8_XDzo%26s%3DreuGk68NwCkEqTZpxl3ii8a35N9pvgCGGyeBa0Cx9OI%26e%3D&amp;a=San+Bernardino+Generation+Now\" rel=\"nofollow\">San Bernardino Generation Now<\/a>, a community-driven network that leverages the arts to educate the public on local socio-political issues and create civic engagement opportunities that embrace <span class=\"xn-location\">San Bernardino&#8217;s<\/span> diverse cultural demographics.<\/p>\n<p><b><span class=\"xn-location\">Sacramento County<\/span> \u2013 Franceska G\u00e1mez <br \/><\/b>Born in <span class=\"xn-location\">Manila<\/span>, Franceska G\u00e1mez was raised in the <span class=\"xn-location\">San Francisco Bay Area<\/span> and earned a BFA degree from Sacramento State University. She now resides in <span class=\"xn-location\">Sacramento<\/span> and her murals are featured locally and across the world. She is a co-founder and the owner of 1810 Arts Gallery, established to create a space for local artists to showcase their work. Franceska is also a founding member of the nonprofit M5 Arts Collective, which creates free art experiences for <span class=\"xn-location\">Sacramento<\/span> residents and is a member of Trust Your Struggle, an artist collective dedicated to social justice, environmental sustainability and community activism.<\/p>\n<p><b><span class=\"xn-location\">San Diego County<\/span> \u2013 Hanna Gundrum\u00a0<\/b>\u00a0<br \/><span class=\"xn-person\">Hanna Gundrum<\/span> is a <span class=\"xn-location\">San Diego<\/span> transplant who earned a BFA degree from the <span class=\"xn-org\">University of Wisconsin, Madison<\/span>. Her artistic style bloomed out of a need to create art from her tiny apartment on a student budget. Socially minded and with a sense of civic responsibility, Hanna is involved with <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2881725-1&amp;h=3767135078&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.artreachsandiego.org%2Fprograms%2Fmurals%2F&amp;a=Art+Reach+San+Diego\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"xn-person\">Art Reach San Diego<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and puts her creative talents to work creating murals with youth at schools and community centers. In addition to her studio art and mural creations, she also works as an artist mentor to adults with developmental disabilities. Hanna uses her creativity to encourage people struggling with mental health to speak about their experiences. <\/p>\n<p><b><span class=\"xn-location\">Santa Clara County<\/span> \u2013 Harumo Sato<\/b>\u00a0 <br \/>A Japanese visual artist from <span class=\"xn-location\">Mountain View, Calif.<\/span>, Harumo Sato has lived or traveled in <span class=\"xn-location\">Japan<\/span>, <span class=\"xn-location\">France<\/span>, <span class=\"xn-location\">Morocco<\/span>, <span class=\"xn-location\">Tunisia<\/span>, <span class=\"xn-location\">Italy<\/span> and <span class=\"xn-location\">Spain<\/span>. After experiencing sudden illness and severe natural disasters in her early life, Harumo now creates work that promotes coexistence with nature and creates peace in viewers&#8217; minds. Her art is owned by public and private collections and she has exhibited in solo and group shows in <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span> and <span class=\"xn-location\">New York<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><b>About Blue Shield of <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span> <br \/><\/b>Blue Shield of <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span> strives to create a healthcare system worthy of its family and friends that is sustainably affordable. Blue Shield of <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span> is a tax paying, nonprofit, independent member of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association with over four million members, 6,800 employees and more than <span class=\"xn-money\">$20 billion<\/span> in annual revenue. Founded in 1939 in <span class=\"xn-location\">San Francisco<\/span> and now headquartered in <span class=\"xn-location\">Oakland<\/span>, Blue Shield of <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span> and its affiliates provide\u00a0health, dental, vision, Medicaid and Medicare healthcare service plans in <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span>. The company has contributed more than <span class=\"xn-money\">$500 million<\/span> to Blue Shield of California Foundation since 2002 to have an impact on <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span> communities.<\/p>\n<p>For more news about Blue Shield of <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span>, please visit\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2881725-1&amp;h=4274475394&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.blueshieldca.com%2F&amp;a=news.blueshieldca.com\" rel=\"nofollow\">news.blueshieldca.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Or follow us on <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2881725-1&amp;h=3081107912&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fcompany%2Fblue-shield-of-california%2F&amp;a=LinkedIn\" rel=\"nofollow\">LinkedIn<\/a>, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2881725-1&amp;h=1476881168&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FBlueShieldCA&amp;a=Twitter\" rel=\"nofollow\">Twitter<\/a>, or <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2881725-1&amp;h=3557264152&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FBlueShieldCA%2F&amp;a=Facebook\" rel=\"nofollow\">Facebook<\/a>. <\/p>\n<div>\n<table id=\"convertedTableb0fa\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"1\" class=\"prntblns\">\n<tr>\n<td class=\"prngen2\">\n<p class=\"prnews_p\"><span class=\"prnews_span\">CONTACT:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"prngen2\">\n<p class=\"prnews_p\"><span class=\"prnews_span\">Mashi Nyssen<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"prngen2\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"prngen2\">\n<p class=\"prnews_p\"><span class=\"prnews_span\">Blue Shield of California\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"prngen2\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"prngen2\">\n<p class=\"prnews_p\"><span class=\"prnews_span\">510-607-2359<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"prngen2\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"prngen2\">\n<p class=\"prnews_p\"><span class=\"prnews_span\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"mailto:media@blueshieldca.com\" class=\"prnews_a\" rel=\"nofollow\">media@blueshieldca.com<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<div id=\"prni_dvprnejpg7accleft\" style=\"WIDTH: 100%; TEXT-ALIGN: left\" dir=\"ltr\"><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"prnejpg7accleft\" title=\"Blue Shield of California Logo\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Blue Shield of California Logo\" align=\"middle\" src=\"https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/810201\/blue_jpg_Logo.jpg\" imagelabel=\"General\"\/><\/div>\n<p>Photo &#8211; <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2881725-1&amp;h=3988718564&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fmma.prnewswire.com%2Fmedia%2F1226521%2FBlue_Shield_of_California_San_Bernardino.jpg&amp;a=https%3A%2F%2Fmma.prnewswire.com%2Fmedia%2F1226521%2FBlue_Shield_of_California_San_Bernardino.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/1226521\/Blue_Shield_of_California_San_Bernardino.jpg<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>Logo\u00a0&#8211; <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2881725-1&amp;h=3940251144&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fmma.prnewswire.com%2Fmedia%2F810201%2Fblue_jpg_Logo.jpg&amp;a=https%3A%2F%2Fmma.prnewswire.com%2Fmedia%2F810201%2Fblue_jpg_Logo.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/810201\/blue_jpg_Logo.jpg<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>SOURCE  Blue Shield of <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"xn-content\">\n<p><span class=\"xn-location\">OAKLAND, California<\/span>, <span class=\"xn-chron\">Aug. 11, 2020<\/span> \/PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE\/ &#8212; Blue Shield of <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span> is teaming up with artists in nine counties to create original artwork as part of an education and awareness campaign that offers support and encouragement during the COVID-19 pandemic to members who face health-related challenges. <\/p>\n<div id=\"prni_dvprnejpg1395left\" dir=\"ltr\">&lt;img id=&quot;prnejpg1395left&quot; title=&quot;San Bernardino artist Belen&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":83540,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-salud"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83539"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83539\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}