Through the Arts, We Transform the Lives of
Adults with Intellectual Disabilities.
HOPE Center for the Arts is a non-profit organization that is committed to serving disabled adult artists. Through art classes and other events, we serve adults with Intellectual Disabilities and train them in a wide variety of arts including visual and performing art.
We are a vendor of the Regional Center of Orange County. We also cater to private students upon request. Please contact us for more information regarding tuition/private pay options.
Through innovative arts programming, HOPE Center for the Arts empowers adults with intellectual disabilities to reach their highest potential; bringing their voice forward to be heard, seen, and appreciated by the community.
HOPE is fostered when every person’s artistic voice is treated with respect.
Inclusive community culture supports the artist and cultivates HOPE.
A society designed for everyone’s needs eradicates differences and disabilities.
Art enables all people to express themselves and be seen.
Art widens perspective and has a transformative effect on appreciation for life.
Freedom to create
Inclusion
Respect
Community
Acceptance
Paul Kuehn’s voice was the spark that ignited HOPE University now called HOPE Center for the Arts. One day during his high school music class, special education music teacher, Doris Walker, was thinking out loud, trying to remember what key a particular song was in. The quiet, shy, blind young man with autism at the back of the classroom spoke up, “that would be the key of ‘G’ Mrs. Walker.” That made Mrs. Walker take notice of the young Paul Kuehn, and she wondered what else he was capable of. She asked him to sing, and the rest is history.
Kristina joined the HOPE team in June 2022. She is a Long Beach native, and a California State University of Long Beach Alumna. Her background includes working in nonprofit organizations in Long Beach and surrounding areas. She worked for a decade in operations for the Long Beach Symphony. Kristina is a cellist and plays the piano.
June McLaughlin is tenured Professor and Chair of the ABA approved Paralegal Studies department at Irvine Valley College. Her son, Cail Cheng, is an alumni of HOPE. June is a Special Olympics coach of tennis and swimming. She had served on the Hope board understanding that recognition of all our artistic talents is critical. The mission of HOPE has inspired her to explore her own inner poet, writer, and painter. HOPE inspires!
Pat Del Monico has dedicated her life to serving the intellectual/developmental disabilities community (I/DD). She comes to HOPE with more than 40 years of senior management experience and nonprofit leadership. Currently Ms. Del Monico provides consulting services primarily for organizations offering services for people with I/DD while she leverages her expertise acquired in her former role as the Executive Director of Harbor Regional Center. In addition to her wealth of industry knowledge, Pat has both a master’s degree in Social Work and an MBA. She also has a JD and is a member of the California BAR.