Corazón del Pueblo, Cultural and Creative Arts Center of the Santa Maria Valley, will celebrate its grand opening, with a day of live music, dance, poetry, and visual art, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday, March 31, at 124 W. Main St. Ste. E., Santa Maria.
The inaugural ceremony at 12:15 p.m. includes a welcome and ribbon-cutting from the Chamber of Commerce to commemorate Corazón del Pueblo’s mission to promote creative expression in the performing, visual and literary arts, and to celebrate community and culture.
“We are excited to showcase the rich history of the Santa Maria Valley, while also making its people aware of the lasting impact César Chávez made in the Central Coast,” said director Alma Hernandez.
The inaugural ceremony will be followed by live performances by local bands Gator Jam and Suave, poetry readings by Jeremiah Frederick Hernandez and Fong Tran, a live mural painting by students from the POR VIDA program, and a traveling collection of photos by Manuel Echavarria.
The photo exhibit — Viva La Causa! — commemorates the struggles and triumphs of Central Coast laborers as they fought for better pay and working conditions. Made possible by the Robert E. Kennedy Library, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the exhibit will be on display to the public March 31-April 21.
In addition, Corazón del Pueblo will unveil the Squire Garden Sculptures created by Morris B. Squire, who was an American psychologist and hospital administrator, as well as a fine artist and sculptor whose career spanned more than 50 years.
In 2009, Squire founded the Morris B. Squire Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to fostering creative empowerment through the arts. The exhibit will be on loan and on display at the Corazón del Pueblo’s 124 W. Main St. Ste E. location.
— Alma Hernandez for Corazon del Pueblo.