play full ground creative micro high school opening fall 2025

to Play Full Ground

"A dream you dream alone is only a dream.
A dream you dream together is reality."
- Yoko Ono

Play Full Ground is a Creative Micro High School Community in Monterey, CA.

At Play Full Ground, we inspire dreamers and everyday artists in high school to break free from traditional educational boundaries, explore and cultivate their unique creativity. We inspire young creatives to transform their ideas into reality through experiential, experimental, and collaborative learning by blending principles of visual and social art with academic exploration. We also support students to develop the vital skills necessary in manifesting their ideas beyond the classroom and becoming artists who are passionate about shaping a brighter future for themselves and others.

Join us in this vibrant learning community for young dreamers!

play full ground alternative high school learning community space front door

play full ground micro high school welcome graphics

Individual & collaborative Learning

Self directed

- Self Inquiry and Exploration

At Play Full Ground, every student's learning journey is as unique as they are! Here, we empower learners to take charge of their education, transforming their ideas into reality through inquiry- and project-based learning. We believe that education should be engaging and creative, allowing each individual to explore their passions and interests in vibrant ways.

Collaboration

- Project Development and Presentation

Art is fundamentally social, and each of us plays a vital role in the social fabric. To turn our ideas into reality, collaboration is essential. Through involvement in art and design, students can enhance their communication and cooperation skills. We believe that bigger dreams need a larger community to help bring them to fruition.

I'm Mai Ryuno

Artist | Educator | Founder

My mother called me a dreamer when I was young and supported my dream of moving to the United States from Japan to make friends all over the world and become an artist. She didn’t teach me exactly how, but trusted my ability to find a way to make my dream come true. I let my intuition guide my way until I learned about interdisciplinary, process-based art, and realized that the creative process used by artists can teach us how to make our imagination into reality as well as find dreams that represent our true self. I feel a little disheartened about the future when I ask my students what their dreams are, and their answers are to earn a degree, get a good job, and have the ability to buy more things such as nice clothes, cars, homes, etc. I hear people say, “I’m not an artist, I can’t even draw a stick figure.” But art is not limited to drawing or painting; it's a way of life and a powerful tool for education and self-discovery. I don’t draw or paint, instead I became an artist dealing with education for life.

Salvador Dali once said, “A true artist is not one who is inspired, but one who inspires others.” With over 15 years of experience in art and education, my goal is also to inspire young generations to become catalysts for social change. I believe that education and art are intertwined, and everyone has the potential to be an artist for their own life and the world beyond themselves.

Together, we can cultivate our passion and imagination to create a brighter future for the world.

Students' Voices

"I like the approach-not giving too many specific instructions, but instead allowing students to experiment and find their own style. Mai is also very encouraging to all students. She fosters a good atmosphere of sharing and learning from each other."

"She works well with all the different stages individuals may be in with their work. Has insights and ideas to share, but lets the student find his or her own way at the same time."

megaphone with flowers for student voices section of website

"Mai uses thought provoking discussions in order to become a catalyst for a student’s awareness of art as a formal expression."

"Mai is a wonderful person. She gives great feedback and critiques your artwork in a way that makes you understand what you can do better on. Very inspirational as well and encourages you to challenge yourself as well as, in a sense, open a door to your creativity if you let it happen."

"Mai has great ideas to challenge one’s routine way of going about work. She’s truly non judgmental about students' different approaches."