Expanding Access to Latinx Heritage and Culture

Project Title: Expanding Access to Latinx Heritage and Culture
Goal: To celebrate Latino cultural heritage; foster cultural engagement on Lake Street, Minneapolis and the East Side of Saint Paul; expand access to Latino arts and culture through programming, engagement, and education; and uplift Latino artists in the metropolitan and greater Minnesota areas by fostering their professional development, networking opportunities, and Gallery exhibit/presentation space.
Overview
Celebrate Latinx Cultural Heritage by Curating and developing Latinx Cultural Exhibits at CLUES Latino Art Gallery in Saint Paul. Exhibits will highlight Latino traditions, holidays, and celebrate cultural heritage.
Expand Access to Latinx Arts and Culture by: Sponsoring 4 large community festivals in Saint Paul and Minneapolis for multigenerational diverse audiences, attracting an audience of 24,000 people yearly. This will have free bilingual/ bicultural programming with professional staff and artists. Additional, we will expand programing in low-income communities where CLUES fosters civic engagement.
Multigenerational Education: 6 Educational workshops and community conversations in Spanish and English for multigenerational and diverse audiences. This will advance cultural placemaking to improve socio-economic conditions and wellbeing.
Uplifting Latinx Artists: 3 Professional Development Workshops for Latinx artists and emerging artists. These will focus on both adult and youth artists.

CLUES Latino Arts & Cultural Engagement Initiatives:
Build Community: CLUES creates welcoming environments for artistic and cultural expression, fosters community dialogue, develops, and strengthens relationships amongst individuals and families and passes on our traditions in a multigenerational approach.
Define our Own Narratives: We define ourselves for ourselves - exploring the diversity of our community, where we came from and where we are going. Through the arts and education, we create and amplify narratives that provide unity, and create a sense of belonging and empowerment to lead healthy and thriving lives and communities. Our authentic stories uplift marginalized individuals from our communities as they overcome fear and isolation.
Empower for Social Change: By fostering cultural engagement, and building upon our strengths and diverse cultures, we are uplifting our community and activating awareness and leadership for systemic change. We use storytelling arts education, cultural expression, and folk traditions as tools that foster racial equity, create welcoming communities, improve wellbeing, and improve socio-economic conditions for Latinos in Minnesota.