Virtual Pobladores Awards Gala Promises a Dynamic Evening of Celebration
A great meal with great company. A signature cocktail. Must-have items at a silent auction. Heartfelt presentations. Distiguished honorees. Stellar musical performances. These are all essential and expected elements that distinguish LAPlaza's annual Pobladores Award Gala, now in our ninth year.
But in 2020, just as things are different due to the pandemic, other things remain the same: as a LAPlaza Gala attendee, you will enjoy a memorable evening of celebration, culture and camaraderie, from a safe social distance and in the comfort of your own home.
We're hard at work to bring you a lively virtual event, accessible on various social media platforms, including pre-recorded and live segments showcasing our culture and community.Our honorees are two East LA legends, Cástulo dela Rocha of Alta Med Health Services Corp. and GRAMMY winners Los Lobos.We don't want to give too much away just yet, so stay tuned for frequent updates via our newsletter, website, and social media platforms.
Click on the button below to purchase your tickets. Fortunately for you, there won't be a participant limit – we've sold out every year – but we suggest purchasing your tickets early to get the best seats in town ... your favorite easy chair at home!
En Familia con LAPlaza Family Series Premieres September 5
Ready to get creative, have fun, and spend time en familia (with family)? LAPlazade Cultura y Artes is excited to announce En Familia con LAPlaza, a new virtual series, just for families!
Join our Education Department every month as they bring you interactive art, literacy, gardening, and culinary art workshops and activities that you and your family can do at home together!
Every month, LAPlaza’s Education team will explore a new theme. Join them this month as they explore Back to School and Fiestas Patrias. Videos will stream on Saturdays at 10:30am on YouTube and Facebook with downloadable handouts for each workshop available online to help your family prepare materials together.
Find more information and links to the videos and downloadable handouts on our website by clicking here.
LAPlaza Partners with Arts and Cultural Institutions to Form the Latinx Arts Alliance
LAPlazade Cultura y Artes, along with four prestigious nonprofit arts and culture organizations in Southern California, have partnered to form the Latinx Arts Alliance,a collective aimed at advancing, serving, and supporting Latinx art, artists, and culture in greater Los Angeles. A free Virtual Launch event entitled, The Importance of Equitable Inclusion: Amplifying Latinx Art, Artists, and Culture on Thursday, September 10, 2020 at 11am, kicks off a month-long series of projects at member institutions as a part of Hispanic Heritage Month. Registration for this event is available at latinxartsallaince.organd Eventbrite.
Launched with the support of an arts grant from Bank of America, the founding members—LAPlaza, Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA), Self Help Graphics & Art, Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC), and the Vincent Price Art Museum—envision the Alliance as a platform from which they will maximize their collective impact and influence, amplify their audience reach, and serve as an essential strategic partner to promote Latinx art.
The Alliance has also launched a website, LatinxArtsAlliance.org, that will serve as the one-stop destination for easily accessible information about the five Alliance members’ exhibitions and programs, as well as news about their joint projects.
New LAPlaza Membership Benefit: MyCajita Subscription Boxes
Like many of you, we at LAPlaza have been missing the simple pleasure of shopping for items that connect us to our culture. That's why we've partnered with MyCajita, a monthly subscription box club for all to discover and experience Mexico's culture, traditions, and lifestyle - conveniently shipped to you each month! New LAPlaza members will enjoy a discount on items and subscriptions and free boxes starting at the Alvarado level membership. For more information visit ourLAPlaza Membership Page.The holidays are just around the corner.
Share Your Story for Our Chicano Moratorium Exhibition
For the 50th anniversary of the National Chicano Moratorium, our upcoming exhibition Patriotism in Conflict: Fighting for Country and Comunidad will focus on the evolving role of patriotism within the Latinx communities during the Vietnam War. We are asking that you share your stories by loaning your personal photographs and/or artifacts for this exhibition reflecting both perspectives of community activism and military service of Latinx members. We are looking for Latinx families and individuals interested in sharing their stories, photographs, and artifacts for the exhibition, opening in Fall 2020. Please fill out the form byclicking here.
Image: George Rodriguez, Home from Vietnam, East L.A. 1970. Courtesy of the artist.
#LAPlazaComunidad: Supporting Our Friends and Partners
As we stay at home and practice social distancing, many institutions, organizations and small businesses have temporarily ceased their programming and activities. LIke LAPlaza, many of them have taken to offering their events online, via Instagram, Facebook, Zoom and more. To show our support, we created #LAPlazaComunidad, a page within our website that lists their programs, updated daily. Get info on these events and more by clicking here.
LAPlazade Cultura y Artes is pleased to continue our tradition of presenting the best of Los Angeles Latinx history, art and culture with En Casa con LAPlaza. Guests can view live-streamed Sessions on Zoom (registration required) or ourFacebook page.View archived sessions visiting our YouTube page.
En Casa con LAPlaza is sponsored by SoCalGas and California Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act economic stabilization plan of 2020.
Dan Guerrero brings his gift of gab to En Casa con LAPlaza in a bi-weekly series of live streamed interviews. The outspoken and irreverent wit master will next banter with mezzo soprano Suzanna Guzman. The pride of East LA continues to grace the great opera stages of the world while using her talents to groom the next generation of opera stars as producer/director of the Opera Company at the Los Angeles County High School of the Arts. Pour a cocktail and join in this musical conversation. Click here for more information.
Join us on Zoom and Facebook Live in an encore presentation of a conversation about the creation of LAPlaza’s landmark exhibition afroLAtinidad: mi casa, my city. Envisioned and realized by members of the community it represents, it is the first exhibition of its kind dedicated to the unique history, culture, and lived experiences of Afro-Latinx Angelenos. Hear from participants of the team who conceived and formed the exhibition: curator Mariah Berlanga-Shevchuk, lender Janelle Hartley, and assistant curator/project manager Esperanza Sanchez. Originally broadcast on Thursday, July 29, 2020. Click here for more information.
In an encore presentation, Dan Guerrero brings his gift of gab to En Casa con LAPlaza, as he banters with el unico, Edward James Olmos. The multi-award-winning actor, director and producer is internationally renowned for his illustrious career. But he is equally admired as a humanitarian and passionate activist. Do not miss this conversation with the pride of the Mexican-American/Chicano community and beyond. Originally broadcast on Friday, August 7, 2020. Click here for more info.
Join us on Zoom and Facebook Live as Barbara “Sky” Burrell, of LA’s Mid-City landmark Sky’s Gourmet Tacosdemonstrates how to prepare Filet Mignon Steak Tacos with fresh Pico de Gallo.Click here for more info.
Join on Zoom and Facebook Live as Jose Antonio Aguirre and Margarita Medina of the Mexican Cultural Institute of Los Angeles present a historical overview of the birth of a nation and its implications, reflecting on a shared border.Click here for more info.
Dan Guerrero brings his gift of gab to En Casa con LAPlaza in a bi-weekly series of live-streamed conversations. The outspoken and irreverent wit master will next banter with comedian, playwright and humorist Marga Gomez. The funny lady got her start in the gay comedy clubs of San Francisco and made it to TV appearances on HBO, Showtime, and PBS. All while writing and performing a long list of highly acclaimed solo stage shows. Click here for more info.
Join us on Zoom and Facebook Live for a baking demonstration on polvorones tricolor. Born and raised in Mexico City, for the last four years, Eliceo Lara has been teaching how to make Mexican bread and pastries to locals and travelers, mainly through in-person Airbnb Experiences. His specialty is pan dulce.Click here for more info.
Join the Mexican-American Cultural Education Foundation on Zoom and Facebook Live for a night of pride, unity, and education and for the chance to learn from our Mexican-American History Maker, Armando Durón, the acting Superior Court Commissioner of the County of Los Angeles. Also speaking is Julio Vallejo, Vice President of Finance & Strategic Planning at Maya Cinemas and our Role Model of Success. His segment is titled “Is It Time to End Pigment Discrimination?” Click here for more info.
Join us on Zoom and Facebook Live for a taped intimate walk through of LAPlaza’s most recent exhibition, Carlos Almaraz: Evolution of Form, led by his wife and fellow artist Elsa Flores Almaraz, followed by a live Q&A.The exhibition focuses on the earlier periods in the artist’s life that played a significant influence on his artistic styles and form, from conceptualism and minimalism when he lived in New York in the 1960s, to a burst of color and figurative work when he returned to Los Angeles. The exhibition also includes Elsa’s black and white photographs from 1975 to 1982, showing a glimpse into the Chicano art scene of that time.Click here for more info.
Join us on Zoom and Facebook Live for a conversation with and performance by the Quetzal Family Trio, made up of Martha Gonzalez, Quetzal Flores and their 15-year-old son Sandino Gonzalez-Flores. TheQuetzal Family trio, a make-shift ensemble born in these quarantine times, shares an intimate repertoire of home and community traditions as well as some original music. Click here for more info.
Join us on Zoom and Facebook Live for as chef Pablo Ricardo Vega of Moderna Cocina demonstrates how to prepare El Vegetarian Taco and Cilantro Pesto. Moderno Cocina is a vision amongst friends to bring varying facets of their culinary heritage from Mexico to Los Angeles. Combining their ideas and flavors, they created a menu of tacos that merges traditional Mexican cuisine with a modern touch — taking the flavors from their home to you and always offering authentic & fresh products.Click here for more info.
Únase a nosotros en Zoom y Facebook Live para una presentación de ex braceros, sus familiares y simpatizantes en una noche de recuerdo, celebración, música y más. En alianza con La Unión Binacional De Ex-Braceros.Click here for more info.
