Hablamos Artes y Cultura
We Speak Arts and Culture
By Toni Robin
Imagine watching an IMAX film about the Amazon at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center…in Spanish!
Or gaining a deeper appreciation for an artist’s vision at the San Diego Museum of Art through bi-lingual text accompanying an exhibition.
San Diego arts and culture organizations take their proximity to the border and strong ties to Mexico to heart and create a welcoming environment for Latino visitors and residents. Through special programming, festivals, online services, docent tours and major initiatives to provide accessibility, San Diego truly offers “Art + Sol!”
Our treasured Balboa Park and its institutions are committed to providing Spanish translations of exhibition guides, maps and signage, while many have developed Spanish micro-sites (http://www.balboapark.org/es/). The Spanish Colonial architecture alone makes a trip to the Park worth a visit!
One of the most important centers for the Chicano community is the Centro Cultural de la Raza located on the southeast side of Balboa Park. For more than a quarter of a century, the Centro has promoted the contemporary art and culture of Chicano, Mexican and indigenous people of San Diego.
Performing arts organizations are committed to bi-lingual accessibility as well. The San Diego Opera offers synopsis in Spanish and a Spanish language website in the works, while the San Diego REP’s Califia Initiative is committed to producing new work celebrating different cultures and traditions. They have become a regular presenter of Culture Clash, the noted Latino/Chicano comedy and theatre group known for “political cabaret” that is often bi-lingual and always hysterical.
Annual festivals like the Latino Film Festival, Cabrillo Festival, Cinco de Mayo, Fiesta Del Sol Street Fair, Chicano Park Day and Día de los Muertos celebrate the uniqueness of our region through film, dance, art, workshops and exhibitions.
Neighborhoods like Barrio Logan capture the pulse, cuisine and style of Latino culture. Don’t miss Chicano Park, located immediately beneath the Coronado Bay Bridge overpass. Established by the Latino community as a part of a community empowerment effort in the early 1970s, Chicano Park is home to a dazzling display of colorful sculptures and murals painted on bridge pillars.
Literary events hosted by Los Bilingual Writers provide an opportunity for young creative writers, as well as senior citizens in low-income neighborhoods to tell their stories. San Diego's close proximity to the international border of Mexico has given the region a distinct Latino flavor dating back to the sixteenth century that continues today. Join the cultural fiesta!
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