Ground
is the foundation that holds us as we explore, take risks, and belong.
Full
speaks to the sense of fulfillment that comes from expressing one’s authentic self.
is essential for awakening curiosity and creative thinking.
PLAY
Together, Play Full Ground is a space where creativity can unfold freely
—supported by trust, structure, and community.
PHILOSOPHY
PLAY: Curiosity & Inspiration
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Play sparks discovery. Curiosity and inspiration guide students to explore the unknown, experiment with ideas, and embrace challenges. By approaching learning as a creative act, they uncover passions and perspectives that expand their understanding.
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FULL: Embrace Possibility & Authenticity
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Fullness comes from embracing who we truly are and pursuing what resonates. Students are encouraged to dream boldly, take risks, and explore without limits. Growth, fulfillment, and courage follow.
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GROUND: Collaboration & Community
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Ground provides trust, connection, and belonging. Our students, mentors, and families support one another, creating an environment where ideas take root, creativity flourishes, and everyone can contribute.
Story
Mai Ryuno is a socially engaged artist and educator from Fukuoka, Japan. She pursued her dream of becoming an artist in the United States, earning a BA in English in Kyoto and an MFA in Printmaking from the San Francisco Art Institute, where she also taught youth and adult programs.
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Her art blends site-specific installations and interactive performances that invite audiences to engage with everyday life—cooking, eating, noticing, and connecting. These experiences shaped her understanding of creativity as a way of being, not just making. This perspective inspired Play Full Ground, which began as a one-night community art exhibit in 2017 and has grown into a creative learning studio in Monterey, CA.
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Through work like teaching Y-PLAN at UC Berkeley, Mai discovered how project-based, socially engaged learning empowers young people to think critically, collaborate, and explore ideas. She came to see that learning unfolds most deeply when students are given space to observe, experiment, and reflect. These insights became the foundation for her artist-led microschool approach.
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Today, Mai brings this philosophy to Play Full Ground: a space where students are trusted, supported, and encouraged to experiment, reflect, and take responsibility for their learning. Here, attention, curiosity, and lived experience guide every inquiry, and students cultivate their creative voice while becoming artists of their own lives—learning to see, notice, and engage with the world in new ways.
“Education itself can be an art form
—and every student an artist of their own life.”
Play Full Ground
550 Lighthouse Avenue, Suite E
Monterey, CA 93940
hello@playfullground.com
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