Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana, Latinx-focused visual arts, arts education, and performing arts space in San Jose, California, United States
Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA) occupies a building at 510 South First Street in San Jose's SoFA district. It holds a gallery and two performing arts spaces, among them the MACLA Castellano Playhouse, and hosts poetry readings and film screenings alongside visual art, youth arts education and a community art program.
Founded in 1989, the center was created to encourage conversation about identity and community through art and address important social topics. In 2013, the organization purchased its building in downtown San Jose, securing its future and continuing its focus on contemporary art and community engagement.
MACLA takes its name from the Spanish phrase for "Movement of Latin American Art and Culture," and its programming spans visual art, poetry readings, film screenings and youth arts education. The building's exterior carries a 2016 mural by Aaron De La Cruz, visible from South First Street in the SoFA district.
The center is located in the SoFA district of downtown San Jose and is easily accessible on foot; gallery admission is free. Visitors should check the website or reserve ahead since hours vary based on events and holidays.
The 2016 exterior mural is by Aaron De La Cruz, a Fresno-born artist known for geometric line work. It is painted on the building MACLA bought in May 2013 after four years of raising grants and funds, ending a long dispute with the city, which had wanted the museum at the Mexican Heritage Plaza instead of downtown.
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