LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes is a PST ART Community Hub

LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes is one of three PST ART Community Hubs taking part in PST ART: Arts & Science Collide. LA Plaza is collaborating with community partners who work at the intersection of art and science to spotlight their important work and meaningful contributions to LA County. Over seven months, LA Plaza is presenting free public programs co-developed and co-designed with these organizations, highlighting topics including food sovereignty, indigenous sciences, sustainable gardening, science exploration, self-expression through photography, and other art-making techniques including screen printing, stamp making, zine making, and more. In addition, LA Plaza is mounting a two-part interactive exhibition centered on the theme of Art & Science Collide.

LA Plaza community partners are Art Space Huntington Park, an art gallery that uses culture, visual and performing arts, and arts education to inspire creativity in its community; Columbia Memorial Space Center, a science museum that strives to ignite a community of critical and creative thinkers through world-class programs and engaging exhibits; Garden School Foundation, a non-profit that provides garden-based education to children at ten Title I elementary schools across Los Angeles; Las Fotos Project, a community–based arts and literacy program that elevates the voices of teenage girls & gender-expansive youth from communities of color through photography and mentoring; Meztli Projects, an indigenous based arts & culture group that addresses the severe lack of artistic opportunities for Native and Indigenous artists as well as systems impacted youth living and creating in Los Angeles County (Tovaangar); Mujeres de Maíz, a women of color spiritual artivist organization promoting holistic wellness through education, programming, exhibition and publishing; Pacoima Beautiful, an environmental justice organization that provides education, impacts local policy, and supports local arts and culture in order to promote a healthy and sustainable San Fernando Valley; Stay Arts Gallery, a community-led art gallery and creative space located in the heart of Downtown Downey that serves as a central gathering place for local artists, youth and families; and Tía Chucha Centro Cultural, a space for wellness and empowerment to address the blatant neglect of a historically marginalized community.

Programming Starting in September 2024 and continuing through early 2025, LA Plaza, in collaboration with the community partners, is presenting a series of programs reflecting the Art and Science Collide theme.

To kick off PST ART Community Hub activities at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, on Sunday, September 15, community partners will come together at LA Plaza to commemorate Fiestas Patrias Family Day. Fiestas Patrias is among the most significant celebrations in Mexican and Mexican-American culture, providing families with an occasion to reaffirm their heritage and identity.

Educational programs include an open house for K-12 educators, focusing on exploring STEAM curriculum, as well as bus grants for K-12 classrooms to participate in Guided School Tours and STEAM Workshops hosted at LA Plaza. The selection of schools will be conducted in collaboration with the community partners.

Additional activities include an Open Air Makers Market, artist activations, a book celebration, a Day of the Dead-themed community art market, a discussion on food sovereignty in Southern California urban landscapes, and more.

Two-Part Interactive Exhibition

Gallery 1 - The first gallery Conexiones: Cultivating Community Action is a collaborative and informational meeting space for the community partners where members of the public, artists, and activists intersect with one another, create dialogue, exchange ideas, and build solutions for the future. Art, film, photography, creative writing, and oral histories will guide the storytelling inviting community members to share their own creative expressions through interactive stations.

Gallery 2 - Louis Verdad Tonāntzín. The second gallery features a commissioned artwork by Mexican-American fashion designer Louis Verdad, whose 9-foot visage of the Mesoamerican goddess Tonāntzín, a multimedia presentation of Mama Tierra, greets the public with tales of duality, of creation and destruction, shifting identity, and a call-to-action for environmental justice. This installation offers a powerful and contemplative space that invites the public to gather around the goddess-mother and consider the meaning and reciprocal role our communities have as protectors and stewards of the Earth.

Dates The programming and the two-part exhibition will take place at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes from September 13, 2024, to April 27, 2025. A calendar with the specific dates for all the activities will be included in the PST ART Community Hub landing page on www.lapca.org

LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes is a community hub where people gather to celebrate Latinx culture through transformative exhibitions, music, dance, culinary arts, and multigenerational artmaking and storytelling experiences. LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes centers the history of Mexican and Mexican Americans in Los Angeles, and collects, celebrates and shares the stories, accomplishments, and experiences of Latinx people and Latino culture. Established in 2011, LA Plaza is a Los Angeles County cultural institution and a Smithsonian affiliate museum.