Joy as Resistance at the Sanchez Art Center

What’s so funny about peace, love, and understanding? That was the question the Sanchez Art Center posed on Saturday, March 14, 2026—and the title of the art show currently on display.

The war (or not‑war; the president still hasn’t committed to a label) in Iran is raging. ICE continues its crackdown, though it’s barely a blip in the news cycle anymore because the headlines are consumed by the conflict overseas. Epstein’s cronies remain unaccountable. Meanwhile, on a personal level, I can barely afford groceries, my workplace is buckling under a brutal budget crisis, and the people I serve are drowning in anxiety, stress, and depression. I feel hopeless. Helpless. I try to hold up the folks around me, but it never feels like enough.

Cindy Abbott, executive director of the Sanchez Art Center in Pacifica, CA, clearly feels this too. She curated the March exhibition to push back against the heaviness, filling the space with images of joy, and lightness—an intentional attempt to offer a moment of levity.

Bringing the share love heart attack pop‑up to the community event and artist walkthrough ended up being serendipitous—an unexpected alignment of intention, timing, and the collective need for something a little brighter.

The pop up attendance was small but mighty. Having artists engage with the hearts was an absolute joy to watch. They built paper sculptures, strung garlands, and taped hearts on top of hearts. Laughing and chatting while doing so.

By the end of the day we had created a beautiful manzanita branch covered in love and light.