LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes

LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes' mission is to celebrate the past and inspire the future by sharing the untold stories of the history, art and culture of Mexicans, Mexican Americans and all Latinos in the founding and continuing evolution of Southern California through compelling exhibitions, programming and educational activities.

LA Plaza's work focuses on three pillars: education, exhibitions, and public programming. Our education department partners with local schools and public libraries and targets children from low income communities with little or no access to free educational resources. Our education department combines lesson to include a focus on health, nature, art and history.

Our celebrated Garden & Culinary Program offers interdisciplinary, experiential opportunities designed to promote healthy food and lifestyle choices in engaging ways. Students are invited to explore topics such as food origins, exercise and gardening. Garden & Culinary workshops provide hands-on instruction on healthy eating and cooking skills to more than 7,000 students annually, and over 43,000 children since we opened in 2011. Workshops and transportation are offered free of charge to qualifying Title I schools.

We extend our Garden and Culinary program beyond our campus through LA Troka, our mobile urban gardening program. LA Troka visits schools through LA's Best after school program (800+ locations), libraries, parks and other community centers to educate individuals about healthy eating and urban gardening. The program increases families' awareness of nutrition, culinary preparation and the culture and history of produce. Hands-on activity stations inspire curiosity through multi-sensory experiences. The extensive inquiry-based curriculum focuses on corn, amaranth, squash and tomatoes and traces their history and importance to our culture and cuisine. The Mobile Program builds upon LA Plaza's mission by engaging students in local communities to explore the culture and history of food production, and nutritional value of fruits and vegetables.

As the official Mexican American and Latino cultural center of Los Angeles County (Source: M&O Agreement, L.A. County Board of Supervisors and LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes Foundation, 7/12/04), LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes was developed in response to an urgent need for public education about the instrumental role Latinos play in the development of Los Angeles. Located in the El Pueblo Historic District, the heart of historic Los Angeles, our visitors experience the history of the city first-hand. LA Plaza is the first cultural center added to the county's family of institutions since 1964.

As a Smithsonian affiliate, we collaborate with scholars, scientists, educators, and authors to lead lectures, and workshops. Since its opening in 2011, LA Plaza has grown to become more than a museum - we are a cultural hub for Los Angeles. In addition to our exhibition space, our 2.2 acres of green space and gardens offer a natural oasis in the middle of the city. These grounds serve as an exploration site for children, a venue for live music and lectures and a gathering space for the community.

LA Plaza has transformed the role a museum plays in the city and is looking for more ways to serve the community and provide free access to art, culture, and education. Arts and culture are essential to shaping children's adult lives and studies show that people who take part in the arts are 38% more likely to report good health (Source: "Key Research Findings: The Case for Cultural Learning," Cultural Learning Alliance, 2017).

In an effort to support that health initiative, LA Plaza offers a dynamic calendar of family-friendly experiences and opportunities and serves as one of the premier destination in Los Angeles for residents and visitors to enjoy and experience Latino art and culture.