A new hub for Latino arts, activism and culture is underway in Boston’s South End.
Community members on Thursday broke ground on the Center for Arts, Self-Determination and Activism (La CASA), a $33-million project publicly launched last June that was developed by local nonprofit Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción.
IBA’s CEO Vanessa Calderón-Rosado described La CASA as a dream come true.
“It will be a place where artists, activists and community members come together to share their stories, to challenge the status quo and to envision a brighter future for our city and our state,” Calderón-Rosado said.
La CASA will be located on West Newton Street, where dozens of elected officials, community members and Latino business leaders gathered Thursday morning.
“As we break ground today, we are laying down the foundation for a new era of community empowerment,” Calderón-Rosado said.
The center will house IBA’s programming under one roof, which includes resident services, arts, early education, youth development and financial empowerment resources. Many of these programs will be expanded in the new center, according to IBA.
The four-story building will have galleries, performance space, classrooms and a roof deck. It will be the largest facility of its kind in New England.
Boston artist Victoria DelValle, who grew up in IBA’s South End Villa Victoria housing community, said the center will help her share art with the community, and create space for new artists to grow.
“I’m excited that we’re going to have a building that not only represents the Villa Victoria, but a Latino population in Boston in general, so we’re not only going to have community members come, but other Hispanics and Latino people in Boston,” DelValle said.
Elias Torres of the Elias Torres Family Foundation praised the project as a dedicated space for Latino advancement.
“I am highly confident that immigrants and young people growing up in La CASA will build long-lasting families, achieve great professional accomplishments, and create generational wealth for themselves and others,” he said.
La CASA is slated for completion late next year. A total of $6 million has already been raised by local funders including $3 million from the Yawkey Foundation and a $1 million Congressional earmark from Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Ed Markey.
