Free

Art in the Park is hosting a series of activities to celebrate this year’s NEA Big Read. All sessions are free and open to the public!

A free copy of The House On Mango Street will be provided, while supplies last, and free coffee and tea will be served. You are welcome to come to any or all of the sessions, an RSVP is highly recommended (so we know how many books to hand out).

Activities:

Reading Circle of Sandra Cisneros book The House on Mango Street 
Saturdays, April 5, 12, 19 and 26, 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.

A book will be provided to read-along

RSVP at artintheparkla.org/programming/the-big-read/!

Family Puppet Making Workshops
Saturdays, April 12, April 19 and April 26, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
For Community Arts, we’ll be making puppets inspired by Carmela Full of Wishes, by Matt de la Peña, a companion book for very young readers for the 2025 Big Read. All ages welcome!

RSVP at docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-KWaCC4SKt64w25S5ZI_B3sPQeQXk4shqBkj9nMiffxXrlw/viewform!

Animation and Puppet Making
Saturdays, April 12 & April 19, 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Expanded hours to work on puppets for Wishes and animations to accompany original music of Home. Puppet making inspired by Carmela Full of Wishes, , by Matt de la Peña, a companion book for very young readers for the 2025 Big Read. Music Inspired by The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, the Big Read book of 2025.

RSVP at docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-KWaCC4SKt64w25S5ZI_B3sPQeQXk4shqBkj9nMiffxXrlw/viewform!

Puppet Show and Film Screening 
Saturday, April 26, 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Screening of animations made to accompany original songs of Home by Community Band, Latin Jazz Band and Rafeal Rafel Bustamante.

Wishes, a puppet show inspired by the book Carmela Full of Wishes, by Matt de la Peña, with illustrations by Christian Robinson, a companion book for very young readers for the 2025 Big Read.

RSVP at artintheparkla.org/programming/the-big-read/!

For more information, visit artintheparkla.org, or call (323) 379-5718 or email info@artintheparkla.org.

About Art in the Park:

Art in the Park provides community based arts and cultural programming, with an emphasis on the diverse contemporary and historical communities of Northeast Los Angeles. We foster community engagement and arts accessibility, creating opportunities by providing classes, workshops, exhibitions and performances conducted by both local and visiting artists.

Tasha Grimes presents Colors of Compassion and Granada Hills Parks and Recreation Center collaborate for The Colors of Compassion Culmination Artshow and Granada Hills Spring Easter Event to celebrate the end of the 11 week Art workshop series. Join us for games, art making, raffles, an egg hunt, food, and more! This event is FREE and Open to the Public. Come out with your family and friends on Saturday, April 12, 2025, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Granada Hills Recreation Center.

Justice in our Barrios, Paz al Mundo: A Moratorium on War and Carrying the Legacy Forward, the inaugural exhibition of the Lincoln Heights Youth Arts Center (LHYAC). The exhibition features the personal archive of Rosalio Muñoz, peace activist, social justice organizer, youth mentor with roots in Lincoln Heights and Highland Park, and a Co-Founder of the Chicano Moratorium. Muñoz life’s work underscores the importance of asking ourselves how we can continue building people power and agency and that, together, we can bring about the changes needed in our world today. The exhibition is the culmination of a nine-week summer youth internship that the Center recognized as the Summer 2024 Youth Leaders.

The opening reception of Justice in our Barrios, Paz al Mundo: A Moratorium on War and Carrying the Legacy Forward takes place on Saturday, September 21, 2024, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. The event will be held at El Pueblo de Lincoln Heights Art Gallery at Lincoln Heights Youth Arts Center, located at 2911 Altura Street, Los Angeles, CA 90031. The opening reception and gallery are free and open for all to attend.

Rosalio Muñoz’s knowledge, lived experience, and personal archive ephemera including photographs, newspaper and magazine articles, campaign materials, artworks, and government documents provide the cornerstone from which this exhibition chronicles the historiography of the growing presence and empowerment of Mexican American people starting in the 1920s. Justice in our Barrios emphasizes the Chicano Moratorium’s multigenerational, intercultural, and national grassroots mobilization efforts whose anti-war 2 mission played a critical role in bringing an end to the Vietnam War. Further, it highlights the Chicano Movement’s priorities and accomplishments that took shape and continued after the post-war era towards creating an improved quality of life for all people, particularly the poor and undocumented in Los Angeles.

In addition to the historical timeline, the exhibition showcases contemporary works of art including painting, drawing, photography, and mixed media, that embody peace, justice, and solidarity. The contemporary collection is of emerging and established artists, from LHYAC visual art students to renowned artivists, exemplifying the vibrant spirit and rich history of Los Angeles’s Chicanx resilience and resistance, and reflect the Chicano Movement’s legacy and relevance to the global conflicts of today. Artworks were selected from an Open Call for Art and carefully chosen by the Youth Leaders themselves.

Featured artists include Rafael Cardenas, Colorsoner, Dare to Struggle, Hailey Deniz, Emma Deniz, Jennaya Dunlap, Paz Fernandez, Mina Ho Ferrante, Yulu Fuentes, Bobby Gordon, Kalli Arte Collective, Lilia “Liliflor” Ramirez, Pola Lopez, Tatiana Luboviski-Acosta commissioned by Coyotl + Macehualli, Arturo Meza II, Andrea “Mextica” Ramirez, Josiah O’ Balles, Dara Oum, Sol Itzel Ramirez, Melanny Rivera & Brenda Ceja, Re:sister, Joanna S., and Miki Yokoyama.

The contemporary artworks will be on display until December 14, 2024, and the historical collection will continue through February 2025. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Information on public programming is forthcoming.

LéaLA, the premier Spanish Book Fair & Literary Festival, returns from September 19-22, 2024, at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes located at 501 N. Main Street in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. Organized by the University of Guadalajara Foundation USA, this year’s event, themed Building Peace Together, celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month by honoring the rich traditions, language, and culture of the Latino community through literature, art, and intellectual dialogue.

As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, LéaLA will highlight the profound influence of Latino heritage on global literature and culture. The event will feature a wide range of activities for all ages, including author discussions, poetry readings, film screenings, and children’s workshops. Highlights include the opening event, El Mariachi, where Juan Villoro will read his story of the same name, and a special screening celebrating the 20th anniversary of A Day Without a Mexican, with filmmakers Yareli Arizmendi and Sergio Arau in attendance. Guests will also enjoy comedy, gastronomy, and thought-provoking discussions on literature and contemporary issues.

“We invite you to join LéaLA in celebrating our Latin roots, which form a bond stronger than nationalities and unite us under a shared identity: the Spanish language,” said Marisol Schulz Manaut, Executive Director of LéaLA. “This year, as we observe Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re proud to showcase the cultural wealth and literary talent of the Spanish-speaking world.” Notable participants include Pulitzer Prize-winning Author Cristina Rivera Garza, cartoonists Jis & Trino, and writers Rosa Beltrán, Évolet Aceves, Benito Taibo, and Élmer Mendoza. This year, LéaLA will host over 40
publishers offering a wide selection of Spanish-language titles, further enriching the festival’s offerings.

Join us in this vibrant celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month through Spanish literature and culture! All activities are FREE and open to the public.

La Feria del Libro en Español y Festival Literario de Los Ángeles

La Feria del Libro en Español y Festival Literario LéaLA 2024 regresa este verano en uno de los lugares más emblemáticos de Los Ángeles, LA Plaza de la Cultura y las Artes. Durante cuatro días tendremos a las voces más importantes de nuestro idioma en diálogos abiertos a todo público.

Con el objetivo de continuar y fortalecer sus programas de difusión de la cultura y las artes para la comunidad de origen latino en la ciudad de Los Ángeles, California, la Fundación Universidad de Guadalajara USA realizará durante cuatro días en septiembre un festival literario a manera de foro abierto a las ideas y la reflexión.

LéaLA 2024 tiene como propósito la promoción de la lectura y el libro en español, así como el reconocimiento a la cultura y costumbres de la comunidad latina en Estados Unidos de Norteamérica, una población que cada vez adquiere más importancia a nivel cultural, político y económico.

Asimismo, habrá sesiones de lectura de poesía, sesiones de discusión académica y talleres infantiles a cargo del programa Letras para volar de la Universidad de Guadalajara.

LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, en el corazón histórico de Los Ángeles, será la sede de todas las actividades que se realizarán del 19 al 22 de septiembre, con acceso gratuito.

Los libros de los autores participantes y una selección de títulos de interés en español para todas las edades estarán a disposición del público gracias a la participación de la Librería Carlos Fuentes de la Universidad de Guadalajara.

LéaLA 2024 es organizado por la Fundación Universidad de Guadalajara USA, con el apoyo del Legado Grodman y la colaboración del Consulado General de México en Los Ángeles, la Asociación de Egresados de la Universidad de Guadalajara en Los Ángeles, así como varias instituciones públicas y privadas de ambos lados de la frontera.

Sing It, Bring It: Family Karaoke Night on Fridays from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. is where everyone can unleash their inner rockstar! Grab the mic, belt out your favorite tunes, and get ready for some serious family fun. Whether you’re a pop diva, a country crooner, or a rock ‘n’ roll rebel, this is your chance to shine! Expect laughs, applause, and maybe a little bit of friendly competition. It’s not just about singing—it’s about bringing your best performance and making unforgettable memories together. So, warm up those vocal cords, and get ready to sing it, bring it, and have a blast with the whole crew!

Friday Night Family Flicks at 6:00 p.m. provides free popcorn and movies in our 44 seat micro cinema featuring classic favorites like the Wizard of Oz, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, The Princess Bride, Hook, Speed Racer, and Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse.