Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/ Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA
LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes is located in two historic 1880s buildings near Olvera Street, the site where Los Angeles was founded in 1781. It was founded by Glorieta Molina and Antonia Hernandez with the help of Miguel Santana.
Established in 2011, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes is a Smithsonian-affiliated Mexican-American museum and cultural center whose mission is to honor the past of Mexicans, Mexican-Americans, and the Latino community in the United States. The museum hosts exhibitions and educational programs as well as public programming.
LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes is Known for Its Culturally-Relevant Exhibitions
The museum enlisted Tali Krakowsky and her firm, Apologue, to create interactive environments. Her work offers a dynamic interaction with Mexican-American history. For example, Calle Principal: Mi México en Los Ángeles exhibition recreates downtown Los Angeles during the 1920s where it makes a connection between the present and past by offering a multi-sensory experience.
The exhibition, AfroLAtnidad: Mi casa, my city, shed a light on the underrepresented community of the Afro-Latinx community in Los Angeles. Funded by California Humanities, it was co-curated by Walter Thompson-Hernández and Mariah Berlanga-Shevchuk. The beautiful exhibition was the first of its kind at a major institution; Afro-Latinx history and culture was explored through objects and photographs.
Read more: The Mission Cultural Center Has Been Preserving Latino Cultural Arts for More Than Forty Years
The many exhibitions on display at the center allows Latino youth to connect with the past while exploring and understanding current topics such as immigration, school segregation, and political protests.
LA Plaza celebrates and collaborates with the community.
Fun facts
- The center gathers artifacts that once belonged to the Tongva-Gabrielinos Indians
- The museum is next to La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles
- During the construction of the center’s courtyard and garden, skeletal remains of 118 of the city’s earliest inhabitants were found.
Location: California
Address: 501 N Main St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Google 360-View: You can virtually visit it by clicking here
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