MACLA / Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana

For nearly 3 decades, we have been activating downtown San Jose and surrounding communities with our unique approach to participatory arts. We are the first hybrid urban arts space in Silicon Valley rooted in the Chicano/Latino experience and are a prominent presence in San José’s SoFA district. We bring together artists, activists, youth, teachers, and local residents in an ongoing dialogue about art, social equity, citizenship-building, and community.

Check out Creative Exchange Springboard for the Arts' write up on MACLA!

Since 1989 we have organized over 200 visual art exhibitions and performances, promoted the work of over 500 Latino artists, and yearly serve close to 35,000 local residents, youth, and emerging artists through our well-known community arts program.

Our supporters make possible our mission to bring innovative contemporary Latino arts programming to the community:

• The 6th Chicana/o Biennial (December 2, 2016 – March 13, 2017), MACLA’s most visible and popular juried exhibition that “takes inventory of the critical edge and aesthetic interventions within contemporary Chicano art” and was co-curated by guest jurors Melanie Cervantes, artist and activist (Dignidad Rebelde), Eugene Rodriguez, artist and lecturer, and Joey Reyes, Curator of Engagement & Dialogue at MACLA.

• DJ Latinidad Dance Party (February 17-19, 2017), conceived and directed by Mark Valdez, is a hybrid- theater piece is about present day Latino identity (Latinidad) in the United States. 

Support us in continuing to bring excellence in Latino contemporary arts to our community!

 Help us meet our goal!