CreArte Latino To Open Cultural Center In Sarasota

SARASOTA, FL — Through its “Para el Futuro/For the Future” initiative, CreArte Latino Cultural Center will expand its community presence and reopen in a new 4,500-square-foot space in Sarasota, according to a news release from the organization.

By opening this new facility at 8251 15th Street E., the organization will expand its schedule of theater productions, events and activities.

Founded in 2012, CreArte Latino serves as a creative hub for the Spanish-speaking Latino and Hispanic community in Sarasota and Manatee counties, the organization said.

“It is our mission to be a connector between the Latino/Hispanic community and the community at large through the arts,” Carolina Franco, artistic director and president, said.

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The initiative, supported by a $71,000 grant from the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, targets four specific areas: community outreach, scholarships directed toward Latinos/Hispanics, professional salaries and operational expenses.

“We have always believed in hard work from the heart and aiming high. This generous grant empowers us to realize our dream of inclusivity through the arts and the possibilities going forward seem endless,” Franco said. “Our ‘Para el Futuro/For the Future’ goal is to offer everyone cross-cultural experiences to learn from each other and create a space where diversity is not only welcomed but celebrated.”

The organization has used these funds to hire its first part-time paid employees, including directors of programming, education and marketing, she said.

Franco said that the “Para El Futuro/For the Future” initiative also includes adding more classes, workshops and plays to the organization’s schedule.

“We can recover from the devastating impact of COVID, move forward with fundraising, and finetune our Spanish-speaking and bilingual programming,” she said.

Among other projects, CreArte Latino Cultural Center hopes to partner with other arts organizations in the area, develop children’s theater performed by adults and start a class for exclusively Spanish speakers called “Conversations in English.” It is also continuing to enhance its collaborations with Latino/Hispanic artists from Sarasota and Manatee counties and Latin America.

The organization’s first re-opening activities include book clubs for adults and children, bilingual painting workshops for adults and children, and an acting workshop, the organization said. In cooperation with The Hispanic Association of Sarasota and the health departments of Sarasota and Manatee counties, CreArte Latino also hosted two vaccination pop-up clinics.