Ricardo Garcia

After growing up in Lynwood, CA, Mr. Rick Garcia charted a creative path through Lynwood High School, Cal State Summer School for the Arts, Long Beach City College, and Santa Monica College, developing a voice that blends street culture, design, and fine art. A professional artist for 20+ years before joining REACH in 2024, Rick has led workshops and classes across Southern California and created large-scale work for organizations including Amazon, Paramount, Angelus Brand, Johnny Cupcakes, UCR, and The Cheech—where his artwork is currently on display. A pivotal moment in his journey was attending CalArts for a summer—a program founded by Walt Disney—which he credits with changing his life and expanding his sense of what’s possible. Rick describes REACH as “the Disneyland of schools”—a place that is all about scholars and makes learning genuinely fun. As an art teacher, his favorite moments are when creativity clicks and students see their ideas come alive. His goal is simple and bold: inspire scholars to see themselves as artists and show them what they’re capable of creating. Looking ahead, Rick aims to keep making a living as an artist while growing as an educator, and he hopes to freelance for the companies that have inspired him along the way. Outside the studio, Rick is usually digging through vinyl records, painting, hiking, biking, and adventuring to new places—with stops at coffee shops and thrift stores for inspiration. His current favorite read is This Is Not a T-Shirt by Bobby Hundreds, and his go-to cuisines are Thai, Chinese, Hawaiian, Italian, and Mexican. Around campus, you’ll find him championing the House of Rêve, encouraging big ideas, brave attempts, and the kind of joyful experimentation that turns curiosity into craft. He’s grateful to be, in his words, “living the dream of being an art teacher”—and he’s excited to keep making magic with REACH scholars.