Cesar Chavez Day with Alum Rock Union School District

Teatro Musical: Aladdin

Fiesta Navideña 2023

Raices Modernas (Modern Roots) Mural

Featuring Artists: Alondra Paco (@alondrapaco93), Edgar Ochoa (@edgarxochoa), Elba Raquel Martinez (@theelbaraquel), Francisco Ramirez (@fco1980), Jorge Camacho (@j.duh), Mesngr86 (@mesngr86), Roberto Romo (@huesomacizo), and Uriel Ramirez  (@urizzy).

Avenida de Altares 2023

Chile, Mole, Pozole 2023

Tres Vinos Fundraiser 2023

Fiesta del Mariachi 2023

CAST embraces SOAC’s growing development in East San José, La Avenida

The School of Arts and Culture at Mexican Heritage Plaza (SOAC) is thrilled to announce their partnership with Community Arts Stabilization Trust (CAST) and their investment expansion into the South Bay.

The partnership with CAST supports SOAC’s bold solution, La Avenida, to meet the ongoing needs of the neighborhood and the increased displacement of residents. La Avenida is a multi-phased project designed to revitalize the Alum Rock Avenue Corridor located in the Mayfair region of East San José. The initial phase is the acquisition of the 28,000 square-foot vacant commercial property across the street from the Mexican Heritage Plaza (La Plaza). The expansion will increase cultural programming and bring needed family wellness services which will be provided by SOAC’s equity partner Gardner Health Services. Future development includes affordable housing on the King parking lot and commercial space for local businesses and community-based providers on La Plaza’s six acres. 

Co-Executive Director, Vanessa Shieh shares the significance of CAST’s investment to East San José.

“We are grateful for the support of CAST. Their program-related investment allows SOAC to leverage capital to ensure development without displacement can occur in East San José. With their investment, we will redevelop a mostly vacant block of stores into a thriving hub that will bring vibrancy to the community, provide jobs, and provide a place for cultural activities. This is the type of investment that can transform neighborhoods!”

Read full Press Release

Fiesta Navideña 2022

From Blight to Vibrancy: SOAC’s bold vision to anchor community life in East San José

In its first ten years, the School of Arts & Culture (SOAC) at the Mexican Heritage Plaza (La Plaza) focused on the activation inside the walls of La Plaza. We refined a successful revenue model that ensures accessibility to La Plaza’s venues for community-based organizations and community members. Most significantly, we gained the trust of the local neighborhood and the creative sector by offering consistent, ongoing, and stable programming. And, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, La Plaza led an 18-month emergency response that served over 150,000 residents, reaching every corner of our community via food distribution, testing, and vaccination. Now, SOAC seeks to influence the built environment to establish the city’s first cultural district with La Plaza at its center.

As the community enters recovery, SOAC’s bold solution to meet the ongoing needs of our neighborhood and the increased displacement of residents is La Avenida. The first phase of this wide-reaching vision is for SOAC to acquire the 28,000 square-foot vacant commercial property across the street from the Mexican Heritage Plaza. This space will expand cultural programming and bring needed family wellness services, which will be provided by our equity partner Gardner Health Services. The development of this space is the first step to future development that includes affordable housing and commercial space for local businesses and community-based providers on La Plaza’s six acres.

Why now?

East San José is a working-class neighborhood of immigrants — nearly half of East San José’s population is foreign born. Of those, half are from Latin America and half from Asia. The area is historically underserved and largely overlooked when investments are made in safety net services, education, and healthcare. Yet, the immigrants who have made East San José home for generations have created an area rich in cultural distinctiveness that speaks to their diverse origins, such as Portuguese, Vietnamese, and Mexican.

Ironically, East San José, as a vulnerable undervalued neighborhood, is ground zero for outside developers initiating commercial and residential projects that do not consider or serve the long-time residents and creators of the neighborhood. Instead, the area’s working artists and families are forced to move out when they can no longer afford the rising rents. The result is the loss of the neighborhood’s unique and diverse cultural identity, as well as those people who have called East San José home for generations

Given this, the moment for what La Avenida offers is NOW. Join us as we ensure that the future of our community’s assets remain protected. Every dollar invested into La Avenida is a return on, and a reinforcement of, the well-being of residents’ livelihood and the commitment to community-first. YOU can be a part of our movement. Act and donate now.

Sobrato Philanthropies supports the School of Arts and Culture’s La Avenida project.

The School of Arts and Culture at the Mexican Heritage Plaza is grateful to announce a $2 million program related investment (PRI) from Sobrato Philanthropies for La Avenida.

For over ten years, the School of Arts and Culture (SOAC) at the Mexican Heritage Plaza (La Plaza) has served as a cultural hub for East San José, hosting community events and educational programs that promote local artists and arts organizations. And, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, La Plaza served over 150,000 residents, leading an 18-month emergency response that reached every corner of their community via food distribution, testing, and vaccination.

As the community enters recovery, SOAC’s bold solution to meet the ongoing needs of their neighborhood and the increased displacement of residents is La Avenida. La Avenida is a multi-phased project designed to revitalize the Alum Rock Avenue Corridor located in the Mayfair neighborhood of East San José. Sobrato’s investment in the first phase of this wide-reaching vision allows SOAC to acquire the 28,000 square-foot vacant commercial property across the street from the Mexican Heritage Plaza. This space will expand cultural programming and bring needed family wellness services, which will be provided by SOAC's equity partner Gardner Health Services. The development of this space is the first step to future development that includes affordable housing and commercial space for local businesses and community-based providers on La Plaza’s six acres.

Read full Press Release

Avenida de Altares 2022

Tres Vinos 2022

After a challenging two and a half years, the School of Arts & Culture at MHP continues their commitment to keep La Plaza’s doors open to our supporters, this includes our annual Tres Vinos fundraiser. Here are a few of the scenes from our 2022 gathering.

Creative Sector Makes History In East San José

By Jonathan Borca for EASTSIDE Magazine

Engaging with your local government can be tricky. Often, public meetings, commissions, and candidate forums seem uninviting, contentious, or out of touch. It is as though these civic offerings were made for an exclusive club with specific rules of engagement, eurocentric undertones, tense environments, and no clear entry point of learning how to navigate these spaces. At worst, we don’t exercise our right to engage with local government. The void is most obvious when considering space for issues affecting artists, creatives, culture bearers, and the arts and culture sector as a whole.

On August 31, San José’s creative sector broke from tradition and stepped into the political arena by hosting San José’s first-ever Creative Sector Mayoral Forum. Even more impressive, the forum was led by a diverse group of multicultural organizations often relegated to entertainment and “doing the fun things”. Located in East San José at the Mexican Heritage Plaza, the co-hosts were the School of Arts and Culture at MHP, Silicon Valley African Film Festival, MACLA, San Jose Jazz, and San Jose Taiko.

“...the forum was led by a diverse group of multicultural organizations often relegated to entertainment and “doing the fun things.”

The event was a unique offering. We did not just delve into the political questions at hand; our audience members experienced the forum through art.

There was a “Mini Art Gallery” by 7 local artists, a land acknowledgment by Corina Herrera-Loera and Gerardo Loera, an opening performance by San Jose Taiko, a closing poem by Yosimar Reyes, and a Latin Jazz trio led by Ryan Trujillo at the closing reception. In true Eastside form, we uplifted local vendors, El Viejon and Frutas Regionales, who catered our reception before and after the forum.

“...our audience members experienced the forum through art.”

Board of Directors announces shared leadership model

San Jose, CA – The Board of the School of Arts and Culture (SOAC) at the Mexican Heritage Plaza (La Plaza) announces a shared leadership model and appoints Jessica Paz-Cedillos and Vanessa Shieh, Co-Executive Directors.

Through its dynamic mix of offerings and events, SOAC has become an inspiring hub for creativity and social action. For the Mayfair community, La Plaza is a symbol of resilience, community, and culture.

During the pandemic, La Plaza became a community hub for essential resources and information. And, during the year when arts and cultural organizations like La Plaza were supposed to shut down, SOAC doubled the number of people served (from 70,000 a year to 150,000). When it was all said and done, SOAC fed over 50,000 residents, tested 15,000 individuals, and vaccinated 25,000 people.

Read full Press Release

Artist Appreciation Month: The Multicultural Arts Leadership Institute (MALI) 

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What is leadership?

Written By Roy Hirabayashi

“Leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes others’ efforts towards achieving a goal.”

There are many paths to become a leader, and I believe that learning to be a better leader never ends.

It is an ongoing journey that requires a beginner's mind to understand how to use what you learn to face today. It is essential to understand that to be a better nonprofit arts leader is not just about learning to write a grant, financial report, or budget. Those are all skills that are required to help you manage and sustain your organization. Leadership skills go beyond management skills.

A good leader inspires others and is not there to impress others. In leadership, there is no room for ego. It is essential to focus on what is best for the entire group or team, not yourself or part of the group. An admired leader does not boss everyone else around while sitting back and not helping. A respected leader is working side by side to help finish the work. A leader does not mean you are the one that is always out in front. Shared leadership creates a solid foundation for the organization. 

Compassion and empathy are foundational points to become a better leader. Patience and listening lead to understanding and empathy to guide your decisions. Easy to say but challenging to do.

We combine our shared experiences and many respected arts leaders in our community as guest speakers and mentors to examine leadership styles and challenges we face to help us become better leaders. As a result, better leaders will create more efficient organizations and a stronger multicultural arts community.

The Multicultural Arts Leadership Institute (MALI) is an opportunity for arts leaders of color to share experiences and learn from other seasoned experts in the local multicultural arts community. If you are interested in learning more about applying for a future class, please contact us.

For more information on MALI, please visit https://www.schoolofartsandculture.org/leadership-development

In Solidarity With Our Black Brothers & Sisters

The School of Arts and Culture at MHP is a member of the Si Se Puede! Collective. In solidarity with our Black brothers and sisters, we are putting out this joint statement:

We are outraged at the senseless death of George Floyd and mourn with his family, Minneapolis, and the Black community across the country. We condemn ALL racism, white supremacy, police brutality, and the decades of oppression that caused this needless death. We lift up the voices of those calling for justice.