Meet The Team
“Art has the power to transform spaces and connect communities...Through projects like Art Through The Glass, we’re not just beautifying empty retail spaces and streets; we’re revitalizing our community, one piece of art at a time.”
-Julio C. Martha
Julio C. Martha, Founder
Julio is a local artist, curator and art collector from Tijuana, Mexico. His passion is supporting fellow artists, bringing art back into communities, and making art accessible to all. He currently works as the chief of the beautification committee for the EnVision Broadway project, aiming to beautify Broadway Avenue in the City of Chula Vista, California. The project involves placing art along the 7-mile stretch of Broadway Avenue. Together, with the non-profit organization, Institute of Public Strategies, and the work of volunteers, Julio has added murals along the Broadway Avenue and the Art Through The Glass Exhibit now at the Chula Vista Mall on Broadway Avenue and H Street, revitalizing empty storefronts. Julio is known for conceptualizing and leading new projects, as well as consulting with businesses and local officials on how to bring art into spaces to revitalize and create community spaces for its members and visitors.
“It's important for us as creatives to redefine what public spaces look like and infuse every corner of our communities with color, hope, and joy…”
-Yvette Roman
Yvette Roman, Co-Founder
Yvette is a bi-national artist, curator, muralist, and arts educator. She is deeply committed to making art accessible through community-organized collaboration. Yvette holds a B.A. from UCSD in Visual Arts and Cultural Anthropology, along with a Museums Studies Certificate from Mesa College. As a recipient of the Far South Border North grant, she co-founded Cuentame, a campaign aimed at strengthening borderland consciousness through intergenerational storytelling and art-making. Yvette was chosen as the representative of San Ysidro for the Fleet Science Center’s Art for Planetary Health Initiative. She co-founded Residencia Ranchito Aurora, a collaborative space for border artists to exchange ideas, knowledge and artistic practices and Cr34tive Gathering, a hub for art making and networking within the arts community. In 2022, she collaborated on Collective Memory, a public arts project through the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, Park Social.
“Art is my most meaningful contribution to the world. Art allows me to express the emotional depth and profound universal experiences that connect us all.”
-Afrodita Deretic
Afrodita Deretic, Partner
Afrodita is a Bosnian-born artist living and working in San Diego, CA. She holds a B.A. from SDSU in Journalism, and carries experiences from KUSI, NBC and KOGO Radio. She is a former Founder and CEO of FreelanceFusion, a unique international digital marketing agency and collective of global creatives. After successfully running FreelanceFusion for more than five years, Afrodita strategically completed its acquisition and transferred ownership, remaining as Founder Emeritus for several years.
Afrodita started her artistic journey long before. Her passion for artistic expression developed in adolescence in a refugee camp beyond the surface of her war-torn country. As a survivor of a civil war and a refugee, Afrodita is extremely passionate about social impact and community.
For many years, Afrodita ran an art therapy program for orphaned and abandoned children in Mexico. She hosted art-centered fundraising events for Corazon de Vida non-profit, and BoshBosh social enterprise in San Diego and Mexico, supporting young girls in Mexico and Liberia. She also ran an arts mural project for TEDx inside the Donovan Correctional Facility, first-of-its-kind inside a state prison. She is the Founder of URLOVED Project, a growing organization that fosters community and human connection.
As an artist, Afrodita has exhibited with various art galleries throughout San Diego and Los Angeles.